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LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 


FROM  THE  LIBRARY 
OF  F.  VON  BOSCHAN 


) 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 


THE    EMPRESS   AT   THE    AGE    OF   SIXTY — JUST   BEFORE   HER 
ASSASSINATION 


THE    MARTYRDOM 
OF   AN    EMPKESS 

With  Portrait 


1899 
HARPER    &    BROTHERS     PUBLISHERS 
LONDON     AND     NEW     YORK 


Third    Edition 


Copyright,  1899,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 
All  riyhts  reserved. 


TO 

MY    EMPRESS 

IN   LOVING  AND   DEVOTED   MEMORY 
OF  YEARS  GONE    BY 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 


CHAPTER  I 

"  Let  them  talk,  let  thern  slander,  let  them  think  what 
they  please  about  nie— I  am  used  to  it ;  it  does  uot  hurt 
me  as  it  did  at  first ;  I  do  not  care !  And  you,  my  little 
girl,  do  not  take  it  to  heart;  do  not  try  to  fight  my 
battles ;  do  not  let  bitterness  come  into  your  life  through 
me,  for  that,  indeed,  would  give  me  pain." 

The  Empress  stopped  her  restless  pacing  up  and 
down  the  room,  and,  putting  her  slender  hands  upon  my 
shoulders,  she  looked  deep  into  my  eyes  with  those 
glorious  dark-blue  orbs  of  hers,  and  added,  gently : 

"You  are  so  young — hardly  older  than  I  was  when 
I  married.  Do  not  allow  my  clouds  to  obscure  your 
sky ;  you  will  have  enough  of  your  own ! " 

How  well  she  understood  the  passionate  wrath  I  felt 
when  witnessing  the  continual  prejudices  displayed 
towards  her  was  shown  clearly  to  me  by  these  few  words. 
I  was  then  very  young — very  inexperienced,  truly — but 
she  was  all  in  all  to  me,  and  the  depth  of  my  love  and 
admiration  for  her  pure,  noble,  peerless  nature  bridged 
over  the  difference  existing  in  our  years,  and  I  was 
happy  in  the  thought  that  already  at  that  time  I  had 
become  wellnigh  her  only  confidante  and  truest  friend. 

l  B 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Perhaps  it  was  the  singular  similarity  of  our  fates 
which  at  first  drew  us  so  closely  together — a  similarity 
which  arose  from  the  sweeping  contempt  with  which 
the  haughty  Viennese  aristocracy  had  enveloped  us  both 
at  different  periods  and  under  different  circumstances ; 
probably,  also,  because  neither  of  us  was  of  what  is 
called  "royal  birth,"  and  because  neither  of  us  was 
Austrian  born.  Moreover,  we  heartily  disliked  pomp 
and  pageantry,  the  empty,  vapid  amusements  of  social 
life,  with  its  hurry  and  fever,  its  fussing  and  fuming,  its 
seething  caldron  of  calumny  kept  boiling  by  malice 
and  envy  ;  and  both  found  no  pleasure  whatsoever  in 
chatting  and  scandal-mongering  with  other  women,  pre- 
ferring horses  and  dogs  to  the  company  of  most  human 
beings  !  Last,  but  not  least,  alas  !  we  had  alike  failed 
to  find  in  matrimony  what  we  foolishly  fancied  we  had 
a  right  to  expect  from  it,  and  scorned  the  very  thought 
of  seeking  consolation  after  the  fashion  common  to  so 
many  women  when  thus  disappointed. 

Be  all  this  as  it  may,  we  certainly  breathed  an 
atmosphere  of  our  own,  and  held  aloof  from  others  as 
much  as  possible  in  these  years  of  close  intimacy  that 
make  it  possible  for  me  to-day,  now  that  she  has  gone 
to  a  sphere  worthier  of  her,  to  give  to  the  world  the 
only  true  portrayal  of  the  so  much  maligned  and  cruelly 
treated  woman,  who  was  the  one  faultless  figure,  the  one 
perfect  being  among  the  past  and  present  sovereignty 
of  Europe. 

That  very  morning  Elizabeth  had  been  kindly 
informed,  by  one  of  the  good  souls  who  formed  her 
entourage,  that  her  refusal  to  be  present  at  the  Corpus- 
Christi  procession  along  the  magnificently  decorated 
streets  of  Vienna  had  given  much  offence,  and  had 
caused  a  renewal  of  the  rumours  long  since  set  afloat 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

concerning  her  sanity.  Of  course  this  had  only  been 
hinted  at  in  her  presence,  but  she  was  far  too  shrewd 
and  quick-witted  not  to  have  gathered  instantly  the  true 
meaning  of  these  veiled  allusions,  and  she  easily  foresaw 
what  persecutions  would  follow. 

"  Cannot  they  leave  me  alone  ?  "  she  continued,  stamp- 
ing her  little  foot  impatiently.  "  All  I  ask  of  humanity 
is  that  it  should  not  interfere  with  me  :  and  vet  all 
my  actions  are  the  subject  of  uncharitable  comment  and 
of  cruel  criticism.  Can  you  tell  me  why  I  should  thus 
be  persecuted  ?  " 

The  face  of  the  Empress  was  flushed  with  vexation, 
and  her  straight,  exquisitely  pencilled  dark  brows  con- 
tracted ominously. 

"  I  am  going  away,"  she  continued.  "  Let  us  be  off 
to  Godollo,  where  at  least  I  am  not  continually  under 
a  microscope,  and  where  I  can  fancy  that  I  am  a  woman 
like  all  others,  and  not  some  extraordinary  insect  created 
for  the  malicious  investigations  and  observations  of  the 
public." 

The  rays  of  the  setting  sun,  slanting  through  the  tall 
windows  of  her  bedroom,  caught  the  bright,  golden 
strains  of  her  magnificent  coronal  of  brown  hair,  and 
made  a  sort  of  halo  about  her  head.  She  gazed  for  a 
moment  at  the  vivid  tints  of  the  sky,  and  then,  sighing 
wearily,  she  resumed  her  monotonous  walk  from  one  end 
of  the  great  room  to  the  other. 

This  scene  is  so  present  to  my  mind,  in  spite  of  the 
many  years  which  have  elapsed  since  it  took  place,  that 
when  I  close  my  eyes  I  seem  still  to  see  the  Empress  as 
she  looked  on  that  day,  with  the  pained  expression 
which  did  nut  mar  the  beauty  of  her  face,  but  only 
emphasized  the  angelic  suavity  of  her  features,  and 
made  her  look,  in  the  trailing  white  draperies  of  her 

3 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

dinner-gown,  like  some  creature  belonging  to  another 
world  than  ours,  far  removed  from  our  petty,  narrow- 
minded,  shackled  sphere. 

The  fair  body  of  the  Empress  now  lies  at  rest,  but 
our  minds  are  too  gross  to  know  whether  her  spirit  is 
not  still  tormented  by  the  oppressive  sense  of  injustice 
which  made  her  life  a  long  martyrdom ;  and  yet  not  a 
pen  is  grasped  to  vindicate  her  memory,  not  a  voice 
raised  to  refute  the  inane  calumnies  which  from  start 
to  finish  have  pursued  her  during  the  entire  course  of 
her  career  as  a  sovereign.  I  consider,  therefore,  that 
I  am  but  discharging  a  debt  of  honour  in  placing  before 
the  public  a  true  and  authentic  version  of  that  career,  so 
nobly  accomplished,  so  bitterly  criticized  always. 

That  this  work  is  also  one  of  love  may  serve  to  heap 
coals  of  fire  upon  the  heads  of  those  who  knew  her  well 
too,  but  who  took  a  fiendish  delight  in  lending  colour, 
by  their  words  and  attitude,  to  the  ever-recurring  and 
increasing  society  and  press  reports  which  strove  to 
give  the  masses  an  entirely  false  idea  of  the  Empress's 
personality,  and  which  mercilessly  placed  her  in  the 
pillory  of  an  unfair  and  ignorant  judgment. 

Among  many  other  things,  as  I  have  just  mentioned, 
she  was  accused  of  having  an  unbalanced  mind.  This 
was  a  cruel  mistake,  for  there  was  no  more  accomplished, 
level-headed,  and  sagacious  woman  in  the  length  and 
breadth  of  Europe  than  she.  But  her  horror  of  the  shams 
and  the  narrow  conventionalities  of  modern  existence 
made  her  avoid,  as  much  as  she  could,  the  require- 
ments of  a  bauble-loving,  vulgar  social  system— truly 
an  unpardonable  crime  in  the  eyes  of  both  classes  and 
masses,  and  one  which  has  led  society  to  punish  it  by 
screaming  over  the  very  house-tops  that  the  Empress's 
mind  was  "unbalanced."     Would  to  Heaven  that  there 

4 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

were  in  this  sad  planet  of  ours  more  such  "  unbalanced  " 
minds  and  less  of  those  who,  from  a  worldly  point  of 
view,  are  so  admirably  constructed  that  they  find  their 
greatest  joy  in  tearing  to  shreds  whatever  they  are 
unable  to  understand — namely,  that  which  soars  so 
immensely  above  them ! 

The  void  left  by  her  death  is  one  which  can  never 
be  filled.  She  was  too  perfect,  too  different  from  other 
women,  not  to  arouse  the  bitterest  criticisms  on  their 
part.  There  were  times  when  the  temptation  to  cast 
off  all  trammels  and  ceremonies  became  too  strong  for 
her  to  withstand;  it  was  then  that  she  went  away  on 
her  long,  restless  travels,  freeing  herself  thus  from  the 
horrible  incubus  of  perpetual  show  and  parade. 

Since  an  incurable  sorrow  befell  her,  ten  years  ago, 
she  was  almost  perpetually  on  the  wing ;  the  iron  was 
in  her  soul,  the  knotted  cords  about  her  waist,  but  she 
always  bore  a  brave  countenance,  for  she  could  not  en- 
dure that  the  world  should  pity  her.  She  was  never 
heard  to  say  an  unkind  thing  or  known  to  do  one. 
Generous  to  a  fault,  she  had  not  a  trace  of  selfishness 
in  her  grand  nature,  and  always  spared  those  about  her 
as  much  as  possible.  But  she  did  not  understand  the 
art  of  forgetting,  of  laughing  and  dancing  when  her 
heart  was  full  of  sorrow ;  she  did  not  take  kindly  to 
fools  and  their  follies,  and  refused  to  make  a  perpetual 
show-figure  of  herself  for  the  benefit  of  a  pageant-loving 
public.  Those  were  her  crimes.  How  unpardonable 
they  were  every  sensible  worldling  will  readily  under- 
stand. Her  lovely  face  and  her  luminous  eyes  were 
accused  of  being  too  sad.  Alas !  it  was  the  sadness  of  a 
noble  nature  that  has  borne  the  burden  of  other  people's 
sins,  faults,  and  lack  of  comprehension. 

She  expected  death  at  any  moment,  and  looked  upon 

5 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

it  more  in  the  light  of  a  deliverance  than  in  that  of  a 
dreaded  foe.  This,  and  this  alone,  brings  a  shade  of 
comfort  to  the  hearts  of  those  whom  she  loved  and  who 
loved  her,  for  now  they  know  that  at  least  she  has  in 
a  measure  found  repose,  and  that  the  throbbing  and 
aching  despair  which  tortured  the  latter  portion  of  her 
life  has  been  lulled  by  the  mighty  hand  of  the  Great 
Consoler. 

Cold  and  impassive  and  mute  as  she  was  believed  to 
be,  the  Empress  possessed  so  warm  a  heart,  so  enthusi- 
astic a  soul,  that  when  one  had  once  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing her  inner  nature  through  its  frigid  envelope,  one 
could  easily  imagine  what  the  sufferings  must  have  been 
which  brought  about  this  stifling  of  all  outward  sign  of 
tenderness  and  emotion.  To  me  she  talked  without  re- 
straint, during  our  long  rides  on  the  Hungarian  Piiszta, 
our  endless  tramps  in  the  mountains  and  forests  of 
Upper  Austria  and  Carinthia,  and  also  at  night,  when 
she  was  supposed  to  have  retired,  and  when  we  sat 
alone  in  the  library,  which  invariably  formed  a  portion 
of  her  private  apartments  wherever  she  went.  Thus  I 
heard  wellnigh  every  detail  of  her  existence,  from  the 
moment  when,  a  girl  of  sixteen,  she  united  herself  to 
the  handsome  and  dashing  young  sovereign  who  had 
fallen  in  love  at  first  sight  with  her  matchless  beauty. 

This  marriage  between  the  ruler  of  a  great  country 
and  the  little  daughter  of  the  impoverished  Duke  Maxi- 
milian, in  Bavaria,  is  one  of  the  most  poetical  and 
romantic  pages  of  modern  history.  It  has  been  often 
told,  but  has  thereby  lost  none  of  its  charm,  for  it  is  too 
sweetly  quaint  and  unique  ever  to  become  vulgarized 
by  repetition. 

Little  Princess  Elizabeth  was  literally  idolized  in 
Bavaria,  and  to  this  day  the  peasants  who  hang  her 

6 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

picture  as  that  of  a  saint  in  all  their  cottages  still  call 
her  "Unsere  Kaiserin,"  forgetful  of  the  fact  that  this 
title  now  belongs  to  the  Empress  of  G-ermany.     I  may 
add  that  Emperor  William  and  his  consort   are  by  no 
means  beloved  or  admired  in  the  dominions  of  their  ally, 
the  King  of  Bavaria.     In  those  far-off  days  Elizabeth 
enjoyed  an  almost  unlimited  amount  of  liberty,  and  was 
called  by  everybody  "The  Kose  of  Possenhoffen,"  Pos- 
senhoffen  being  the  name  of  Duke  Maximilian's  castle 
and  estate.     She  ran  about  like  a  young  fawn,  untram- 
melled and  unwatched,  for  the  Duke  was  by  no  means 
a    wealthy    man,   and    all    his    disposable    means    were 
lavished  upon  the  education  of  his  older  daughters  and 
of  his  sons,  who  he  expected  would  all  make  brilliant 
marriages.     And  thus  did  lovely  Princess  "Cinderella" 
stay  at  home  and  roam  about  at  her  own  sweet  will 
under  the  grand  old  trees  of  the  great  forests,  sometimes 
on  the  pony  which  was  her  great  pride  and  joy  and  which 
rejoiced  in  the  name  of  "  Punch,"  often  on  foot,  indulging 
her  passion  for  wild  flowers  and  fruit,  and  coming  home 
with  her  arms  full  of  mountain  treasures,  her  lips  stained 
by  the  juice  of  berries,  which  she  gathered  amid  the 
undergrowth  of  the  Osmunda-bushes   and  the  trailing 
ivy,  and  her  luxuriant  hair  tossed  upon  her  shoulders, 
surrounding    her    entire   form    with    a   wavy   cloud    of 
brightness.      She   hunted   and   shot  with  her   brothers, 
especially    with    Prince    Karl-Theodore,    who    was    her 
favourite.     At  that  time  the  young  fellow  was  already 
a  budding  philanthropist,  and,  with  the  assistance  of  his 
dear  little  sister,  would  attend  to  the  ills  and  aches  of 
the  peasants,  giving  decided  signs  of  the  genius  which 
was  to  make  him  later  one  of  the  cleverest  doctors  and 
oculists  of  our  day. 

The  magnificent  medical  establishment  now  managed 

7 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

by  Duke  Charles-Theodore  is  situated  at  Kreuth,  on  the 
slopes  of  Hohenstein,  one  of  the  Bavarian  Alps,  over- 
looking the  lovely  Tegernsee.  Early  in  the  eighth 
century  the  Benedictine  monks,  who  had  their  head- 
quarters at  Tegernsee,  obtained  possession  of  all  the 
land  in  that  neighbourhood.  The  good  fathers,  skilful 
doctors  in  their  way,  were  not  long  in  discovering  the 
curative  qualities  of  the  little  sulphur  springs  on  the 
Hohenstein  plateau.  They  built  by  the  side  of  it  a 
hospital,  to  which  the  delicate  members  of  the  Order 
used  to  retire  from  time  to  time  to  recruit  their  strength. 
As  years  passed  this  hospital  was  replaced  by  a  much 
larger  one,  and  even  up  to  1803,  when  the  Order  was 
dissolved,  Kreuth  remained  the  regular  health  resort  of 
the  Benedictine  monks.  The  hospital  was  then  turned 
into  a  farm-house.  In  1813,  however,  it  was  rebuilt  by 
King  Max  of  Bavaria,  who  restored  the  old  badhaus  and 
erected  yet  another  one.  So  long  as  he  lived  the  place 
was  used  as  a  convalescent  home,  and  when  at  his  death 
it  passed  into  the  hands  of  his  widow,  it  was  with  the 
condition  attached  to  it  that  a  certain  number  of  poor 
people  should  every  year  be  hospitably  entertained 
there.  It  was  his  wish  that  Kreuth  should  remain  a 
charitable  institution. 

At  Meran  the  Duke  has  established  also  a  large 
hospital  and  sanitarium,  with  the  assistance  of  his  sister- 
in-law,  Archduchess  Maria-Theresa  of  Austria.  Indeed, 
there  is  no  end  to  the  good  which  he  has  done  in 
every  direction,  and  his  medical  and  charitable  labours 
are  boundless.  He  is  especially  famous  for  the  many 
cures  which  he  has  effected  upon  people  threatened 
with  blindness. 

Elizabeth  was  for  ever  coming  iuto  the  peasants' 
homes  and  doing  them  some  kind  turn  or  other.     When 

8 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

the  rain  and  storms  of  November  set  in  she  would  run 
right  among  them  for  shelter,  and  would  sit  down  beside 
the  hearth  and  drink  a  glass  of  milk,  chatting  away  just 
as  if  she  were  one  of  themselves.  Her  greatest  sorrow 
was  that  she  had  not  much  pocket-money  to  make  her 
humble  friends  presents  with,  and  so  during  the  long 
winter  evenings  she  was  in  the  habit  of  making  up  with 
her  own  deft  fingers  some  warm  clothing  for  the  many 
little  children  who  were  her  dearest  proteges,  and  all 
sorts  of  pretty  little  gifts,  which  are  preserved  as  relics, 
and  in  some  instances  under  glass  cases,  in  the  chalets 
which  nestle  round  Possenhoffen.  Her  skill  as  a  rider 
is  proverbial  in  Bavaria,  and  the  peasants  still  relate, 
with  considerable  relish,  how  she  jumped  over  some 
perilous  obstacles  which  had  never  been  attempted  by 
anybody  before  and  have  never  been  cleared  since. 

The  young  girl  had  even  then  this  intense  love  of 
nature  and  fine  scenery  which  distinguished  her  through- 
out her  life.  Buchensteiner,  who  was  her  favourite  guide 
in  later  years  during  her  long  mountaineering  expeditions 
in  the  Tyrol,  said,  when  speaking  about  her:  "Often, 
when  I  take  people  over  the  mountains,  I  wonder  what 
they  came  there  for.  They  do  not  seem  to  give  the  beau- 
tiful spectacle  before  them  a  thought,  and  the  blue  sky 
above  their  heads,  as  well  as  the  green-clad  slopes  of  the 
high  hills,  or  the  awe-inspiring  abysses  which  yawn  before 
their  feet,  seem  to  make  no  impression  upon  them.  But 
when  her  Majesty  came  to  some  point  from  which  there 
was  a  more  than  usually  fine  view  to  admire,  my  heart 
felt  like  bursting  with  joy  as  I  watched  her  gazing  into 
the  far  distance,  with  a  look  upon  her  face  just  as  if  she 
were  inwardly  praying.  Once,  I  remember,  I  took  her 
to  a  very  romantically  situated  and  lonely  farm,  away  up 
in  the  mountains.     This  farm,  though  belonging  to  the 

9 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Crown,  was  in  the  hands  of  a  family  composed  of  seven 
brothers  and  seven  sisters — this  sounds  like  a  fairy  tale, 
doesn't  it?  hut  still  it  is  so — and  the  mistress  and 
manager  of  them  all  was  the  elder  sister,  a  masterful  kind 
of  a  wench,  who  had  a  will  of  her  own  and  who  ordered 
everybody  about  just  as  a  general  does  his  troops.  It 
was  on  a  warm  summer  afternoon  that  we  reached  this 
particular  corner  of  the  Tyrolese  Alps,  and  her  Majesty, 
who  was  tired  and  thirsty,  sat  down  on  a  fallen  tree- 
trunk  to  rest.  The  mistress  of  the  farm,  who  was  stand- 
ing at  the  door  of  the  cow-stables,  inquired  if  she  would 
not  like  her  to  fetch  out  a  chair;  but  the  Empress  de- 
clined this  offer,  and  asked  if  she  could  have  a  glass  of 
milk  to  drink. 

"'Milk  is  not  good  for  you,  you  are  too  warm,'  re- 
plied the  'Sennerin,'  and  running  into  the  house  she 
soon  came  back  with  a  stone  bottle  and  a  glass,  into 
which  she  poured  some  '  Kirschwasser ! '  This  made  the 
Empress  laugh,  and  giving  me  the  glass  to  drink,  she 
again  asked  for  some  milk,  and  followed  the  girl  into 
the  stable  to  watch  her  milk  a  fine  black  cow,  for,  accord- 
ing to  the  '  Sennerin,'  '  Cold  milk  would  not  do  at  all,  but 
newly  drawn  would  not  hurt ! '  She  stood  looking  at  her 
visitor  while  the  latter  drank  the  large  bowlful  provided 
for  her ;  and  when,  after  thanking  her  before  proceeding 
upon  her  walk,  the  Empress  handed  her  a  gold  piece, 
the  'Sennerin,'  amazed  at  the  amount  paid  for  such  a 
homely  luxury,  turned  to  me  and  whispered,  'Who  is 
she,  to  give  so  much  for  a  mouthful  of  milk  ? '  '  The 
Empress,'  I  chuckled.  'The  blessing  of  the  saints  be 
on  us ! '  exclaimed  the  startled  girl.  '  What,  the  Em- 
press! and  I  let  her  pay  for  the  milk,  although  the 
farm  and  the  cows  and  everything  around  here  belong 
to  her?' 

10 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

"  Then  glancing  after  the  slender,  black-robed  figure 
which  was  beginning  to  disappear  under  the  drooping 
boughs  of  the  pine-trees,  she  continued :  '  That's  a  piece 
of  money  I'll  never  spend.  I'll  bore  a  hole  through  it 
and  wear  it  round  my  neck,  for  I  know  it  will  bring  me 
good  luck.'" 

For  many  years  the  Empress  revisited  her  old  home 
at  Possenhoffen  every  summer,  and,  when  there,  resumed 
her  wanderings  in  forest  and  on  mountain  and  her  visits 
to  the  peasants,  just  as  if  she  had  not  changed  her  posi- 
tion as  a  poor  little  princess  for  the  rank  and  status  of 
a  great  and  powerful  empress.  She  used  to  say  that 
she  was  never  so  happy  as  when  in  Bavaria,  and  the 
good  people  there  declare  to  this  day  that  had  she 
come  to  take  up  her  abode  in  their  midst  after  the 
tragedy  of  Mayerling,  Avhich  so  completely  broke  her 
heart,  she  would  have  found  consolation,  and  would  not 
have  become,  as  she  did,  a  wanderer  on  the  face  of  the 
earth  in  search  of  change  from  the  monotony  of  her  ever- 
lasting sufferings. 

Nevertheless,  after  the  catastrophe  which  brought 
about  the  death  of  her  cousin,  King  Louis  of  Bavaria, 
who  had  always  been,  in  spite  of  his  mad  and  erratic 
Mays,  a  great  favourite  of  hers,  she  feared  to  go  back  to 
Bavaria,  lest  it  should  recall  to  her  mind  the  shocking 
scene  of  which  she  was  almost  a  witness ;  for  at  the  time 
when  it  occurred  she  was  staying  at  a  castle  on  the 
opposite  shore  of  Lake  Starhemberg,  practically  within 
view  of  the  spot  where  the  drowning  took  place,  and 
just  about  where  the  King  would  have  landed  had  he 
succeeded,  as  was  evidently  his  intention,  in  swimming 
across.  The  death  of  the  handsome  King  of  Bavaria, 
in  the  Starhemberg  "  See,"  has  been  often  told,  and  yet, 
like  this  ill-fated  monarch's  life,  it  is  so  romantic  and 

11 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

extraordinary  that  it  is  still  a  frequent  topic  of  conver- 
sation at  Munich. 

The  King  had  been  for  some  time  becoming  more  and 
more  difficult  to  manage,  and  had  accordingly  to  be  con- 
tinually watched  for  fear  of  his  doing  himself  or  others 
some  injury.  His  one  idea  was  to  escape  from  his 
attendants,  and  to  try  to  get  over  the  frontier,  for  he 
was  convinced  that  he  would  then  be  safe  from  any 
further  danger  of  incarceration.  Accordingly,  one  even- 
ing he  persuaded  the  doctor  under  whose  immediate 
care  he  was  to  permit  him  to  take  his  post-prandial 
stroll  along  the  edge  of  the  water.  The  moon  was 
shining  brightly,  and  the  glitter  of  its  rays  on  the  lake, 
which  had  always  possessed  a  powerful  attraction  for 
Louis,  seemed  to  fill  him  with  extreme  delight.  He 
broke  out  into  exclamations  of  enthusiasm  as  he  watched 
the  fleeting  shadows  of  the  tall  reeds  which  swayed 
above  the  rippling  surface  at  his  feet,  and  affectionately 
linking  his  arm  into  that  of  his  physician,  he  entreated 
him  to  send  away  the  two  servants  who  were  following 
them  at  a  short  distance,  "  in  order,"  as  he  said,  "  that 
these  menials  might  not  mar  his  perfect  enjoyment  of 
this  lovely  night-stroll."  Confident  that  his  turbulent 
patient  was  in  an  unusually  manageable  mood,  the 
doctor  granted  this  request,  and  chatting  pleasantly 
with  his  royal  charge,  he  continued  his  promenade. 
Suddenly,  without  the  slightest  warning,  the  King  made 
a  bound  and  precipitated  the  unfortunate  physician 
under  the  water,  and  jumping  in  after  him  held  him 
beneath  the  surface  until  his  struggles  ceased.  He  there- 
upon started  to  swim  across  the  lake,  imagining  that  on 
the  opposite  shore  he  would  find  plenty  of  assistance,  as 
he  was  aware  that  the  peasantry  were  so  fond  of  him 
that   they  had   been   on   the   point  of  rising  en  masse 

12 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

throughout  the  kingdom  when  they  heard  of  his  being 
placed  under  restraint.  After  he  had  swum  a  few 
strokes,  however,  congestion,  due  to  his  immersion  in 
water  of  a  very  low  temperature  immediately  after  a 
heavy  meal,  supervened.  This  serves  to  explain  how  it 
was  that  when  his  corpse  was  found  his  lungs  were  free 
from  water,  whereas  the  contrary  was  the  case  with 
those  of  the  doctor. 

Notwithstanding  her  proximity,  the  news  of  this 
awful  incident  did  not  reach  the  Empress  until  the 
next  afternoon.  Strangely  enough,  during  the  previous 
night  she  had  alarmed  her  attendants  by  an  agonized 
scream  soon  after  retiring  to  her  bed.  On  hurrying  to 
her  chamber,  her  women  found  her  terror-stricken,  she 
having  just  awakened  from  a  dream  in  which  she  had 
seen  King  Louis  standing  by  her  bedside,  his  clothes 
dripping  with  water,  which  ran  in  such  quantities  from 
his  hair  and  garments  that  she  fancied  that  she  was 
going  to  be  drowned  thereby.  When  she  received  the 
news,  she  caused  herself  to  be  rowed  across  the  lake 
to  her  cousin's  castle,  and  demanded  to  see  his  body. 
She  had  not  seen  him  for  some  time,  for  his  mental 
and  physical  condition  had  been  such  that  visitors,  even 
when  belonging  to  his  family,  were  not  allowed  by  his 
medical  attendants  to  be  brought  into  his  presence,  and 
she  was  much  shocked  by  the  change  which  his  long 
mental  trouble  and  awful  death  had  worked.  She  laid 
a  bunch  of  white  blossoms  between  his  folded  hands, 
and  knelt  down  in  prayer  by  his  side,  requesting  all 
those  present  to  leave  the  room.  For  nearly  an  hour 
they  awaited  her  return,  and  at  length,  alarmed  beyond 
measure,  the  Grand  Mistress  of  her  household  ventured 
to  enter  the  apartment,  where  she  found  the  Empress 
stretched    upon   the   flour   and   apparently    lifeless.     It 

13 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

was  only  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  she  was 
restored  to  consciousness,  and  when  at  length  she 
opened  her  eyes  she  stared  wildly  about  her  for  some 
moments,  and  then  cried,  in  a  shaking  voice : 

"  For  God's  sake  release  the  King  from  the  mortuary 
chapel.  He  is  not  really  dead ;  he  is  only  pretending 
to  be  so,  in  order  to  be  left  in  peace  and  quietness, 
and  not  to  be  tormented  any  longer." 

Her  nerves  were  so  shattered  by  this  dismal  affair 
that  it  was  feared  that  she  might  be  stricken  down  by 
some  serious  illness,  and  the  impression  produced  upon 
her  by  this  last  and  terrible  proof  of  the  madness  of 
her  cousin  preyed  upon  her  mind  for  a  very  long  time. 
This  is  more  than  sufficiently  proved  by  the  fact  that 
when  the  physicians  who  went  to  Mayerling  to  perform 
the  autopsy  upon  Crown  Prince  Eudolph  returned  to 
the  Hofburg,  and  declared  that  he  had  given  himself 
death  in  a  moment  of  temporary  mental  aberration,  she 
sought  out  the  Emperor,  and  entering  his  study,  in  her 
long  black  sweeping  garments,  she  held  out  towards 
him  her  little  quivering  hands,  and  said,  with  a  sob : 

"  Franz,  pardon  me ;  I  had  no  right  to  marry.  Mad- 
ness is  in  my  family,  and  I  have  brought  it  into  yours." 

Poor,  tender-hearted  woman,  always  ready  to  take  all 
blame  upon  herself,  she  yet  knew  well  that  it  is  not 
in  the  younger  but  in  the  elder  branch  of  the  House  of 
Wittelsbach  that  there  has  been,  and  still  is,  lunacy,  and 
it  was  with  a  great  deal  of  trouble  that  the  Emperor 
comforted  her  by  gently  and  tenderly  saying : 

"You  brought  nothing  but  what  is  good  and  sweet 
with  you  when  you  married  me,  and  I,  my  dear,  have 
never  been  worthy  of  you  in  any  way." 

Possenhoffen  was  a  truly  befitting  place  for  the 
imperial  idyl  which  preceded   the  marriage  of  Franz- 

14 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Joseph  and  Elizabeth.  Every  one  knows  how  the 
Emperor,  soon  after  his  arrival  at  his  future  father-in- 
law's  castle  to  celebrate  his  betrothal  with  Duke  Maxi- 
milian's eldest  daughter,  met  under  the  dense  shadows 
of  the  parklike  woods  a  child,  clothed  in  a  short  white 
frock,  with  a  wonderful  mass  of  wavy,  silken,  chestnut 
hair  falling  about  her  slim  girlish  figure,  down  to  her 
tiny  feet,  and  with  a  brace  of  large  white  deer-hounds 
leaping  about  her.  With  a  child's  impulsiveness  she 
threw  her  arms  about  the  neck  of  this  imperial  cousin 
of  whom  she  had  heard  so  often,  as  of  a  new  brother 
that  was  to  be,  but  whom  she  had  never  met,  and 
merely  recognized  from  the  portraits  she  had  seen  of 
him.  The  sorcery  of  her  luminous  sapphire-hued  eyes, 
the  witchery  of  a  smile  which  later  on  became  celebrated 
throughout  Europe  for  its  radiant  charm,  combined  to 
rob  the  young  monarch  of  his  heart. 

He  linked  her  arm  within  his  and  tried  to  draw  her 
towards  the  castle,  but  the  young  Princess  would  not 
allow  this. 

"They  would  be  awfully  angry  with  me  if  I  mixed 
with  the  grown-up  ones,"  she  said,  laughing.  "They 
have  all  to  be  married  away  before  I  am  allowed  to 
appear." 

"That's  what  we  are-  going  to  see,"  replied  the 
deeply  smitten  Emperor.  "  Go  and  dress  for  dinner 
and  meet  me  in  the  hall  before  I  go  down,  my  sweet ! 
I'll  manage  the  rest." 

Completely  subjugated,  the  young  girl  flew  towards 
the  great  old  building,  while  the  Emperor  marched  off 
to  his  rooms,  vowing  to  himself  that  he  would  win  that 
little  fairy  princess  in  spite  of  all  objections  that  might 
be  put  forward.  Just  as,  after  terminating  his  elaborate 
toilet,  he  was  about  to  step  into  the  hall,  he  heard  two 

15 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

voices  proceeding  from  behind  a  door,  which  was  not 
quite  closed.  The  louder  and  angrier  of  the  two  was 
saying : 

"  Please  don't,  Princess ;  you  know  that  you  have 
been  forbidden  to  let  yourself  be  seen." 

"  I  shall  do  so,  just  the  same,  Countess,"  murmured 
the  other  voice,  which  Franz-Joseph  recognized  as 
belonging  to  Elizabeth.  The  door  opened  wide,  and 
the  charming  girl,  followed  by  a  lady-in-waiting,  whose 
flashing  eyes  and  ruffled  grey  locks  denoted  the  greatest 
agitation,  appeared  in  the  hall. 

"Let  us  go  down  together,  my  cousin,"  said  the 
Emperor,  offering  Elizabeth  his  arm ;  and  in  spite  of 
the  frowns  and  entreaties  of  the  old  Countess,  he  drew 
the  radiant  creature,  who  had  grown  as  white  as  a 
moonbeam,  towards  the  broad  flight  of  steps  leading 
down  to  the  terrace,  where  Duke  Maximilian  and 
Duchess  Ludovica  of  Bavaria  were  waiting,  surrounded 
by  all  their  other  children,  the  appearance  of  their 
august  guest.  At  the  sight  of  the  handsome  young 
couple  a  look  of  surprise,  chagrin,  and  thorough  dis- 
approval started  from  the  eyes  of  all  present;  but  it 
was  too  late  to  interfere,  for  the  mischief  was  done,  and 
that  same  evening,  closeted  with  the  Duke,  the  Emperor 
declared  to  him  that  his  plans  had  altered  and  formally 
asked  from  the  infuriated  old  gentleman  the  favour  of 
his  youngest  daughter's  hand. 

A  scene  of  much  violence  took  place.  Both  men 
were  overbearing  and  quick-tempered,  and  the  affront  put 
upon  his  eldest  daughter  could  not  but  seem  difficult 
of  acceptance  to  the  old  Duke.  The  Emperor,  at  last 
losing  all  patience,  sprang  from  his  chair  and  declared 
in  his  most  fiery  manner  that,  should  his  request  be 
rejected,  he  would  start  instantly  for  his  own  dominions, 

16 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

and  marry  neither  one  nor  the  other  of  his  host's  fair 
daughters ;  nor  for  the  matter  of  that  would  he  marry 
at  all,  little  heeding  the  future  of  his  empire,  since  the 
wound  at  his  heart  would  not  heal  sufficiently  to 
permit  of  his  ever  thinking  of  any  woman  but  that  one 
girl  whom  he  had  met  for  the  first  time  a  few  hours 
previously  ! 

Thus  forced  from  his  last  intrenchments,  the  Duke 
reluctantly  yielded,  much  to  the  astonishment  of  his 
family  and  entourage,  for  he  was  an  extraordinarily 
obstinate  old  gentleman  in  general.  During  that  time 
the  little  Princess,  whose  heart  had  been  awakened  by 
the  first  kiss  of  "  Prince  Charming,"  was  sobbing  in  her 
narrow  white  bed  and  comparing  herself  anew  to  Cin- 
derella, for  she  had  not  as  yet  made  her  debut  at  her 
father's  small  court,  and  she  could  not  but  dread 
the  consequences  of  her  incredible  disobedience  to  her 
parent's  orders. 

She  would,  so  she  thought,  in  all  probability,  not 
again  see  the  stalwart,  blue-eyed  youth  who  had  called 
her  "My  lovely  little  cousin,"  and  whose  caressing 
looks  and  tender  words  had  created  so  deep  an  impres- 
sion upon  her.  Little  did  she  guess  that  he  was  to  be 
the  magician  who  would  transform  her  peaceful,  lonely 
life  into  the  most  brilliant  of  earthly  lots,  and,  more  is 
the  pity,  also  the  saddest  which  has  ever  been  the 
portion  of  an  imperial  lady. 

These  details  were  given  to  me  by  a  dear  old  woman 
who  was  the  Empress's  nurse  from  earliest  childhood, 
and  who  died  not  so  very  long  ago.  She  it  was  who 
told  me  of  this,  the  girl's  first  sorrow,  and  of  that  night 
when  at  last,  exhausted  by  such  unusual  weeping,  she 
fell  back  on  her  pillows,  sleeping  the  dreamless  sleep 
of   innocent    unhappiness    under    the  moon-rays   which 

17  C 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

stole  through  the   stained    glass    of  her   windows  and 
glittered  on  her  long,  Avet  eyelashes. 

"  Ah,  my  darling,  my  beauty ;  how  much  too  pretty 
and  too  sweet  and  too  pure  she  was  for  all  that  was  to 
■come ! "  the  old  woman  often  said  to  me. 

"And  on  her  bridal-day  how  delicate  and  dainty 
and  like  an  angel  she  looked,  in  spite  of  the  weight  of 
her  court-mantle  and  of  the  heavy  jewels  bruising  her 
tender  flesh !  But  she  was  happy  then ;  they  had  not 
yet  crushed  all  joy  out  of  her  heart.  She  thought  that 
life  was  one  long  festival,  one  endless  chain  of  enchant- 
ment ;  that  all  people  were  good,  and  that  the  boundless 
wealth  of  her  consort  would  be  a  magic  wand  with 
which  to  conjure  away  all  the  miseries  of  the  earth 
wherever  she  went,  poor  child — poor  little  silly,  loving 
child!" 

And  then  large  tears  would  roll  over  the  withered 
cheeks  of  the  old  dame,  and  she  would  clench  her  thin 
hands  and  pour  out  such  a  torrent  of  maledictions  upon 
those  who  had  wrecked  her  "  little  child's  hopes,"  that 
I  could  but  stand  by  her  side  shuddering  and  thinking 
of  my  own  ideals  which  lay  already  dying  at  my  feet. 

This  new  betrothal  of  the  Emperor  was  of  short 
duration,  and  within  a  few  weeks  from  the  fateful  day 
on  which  he  had  met  his  "little  Elsa"  their  nuptials 
were  celebrated  with  all  the  pomp  and  splendour  that  the 
most  magnificent  and  ceremonial-loving  court  of  Europe 
could  lend  to  such  espousals.  At  the  moment  when 
the  young  monarch  slipped  the  golden  circlet  upon  her 
linger  the  bride  grew  deadly  pale,  and  glanced  at  the 
magnificent  crowd  which  filled  the  sacred  edifice  with 
a  gleam  of  anxiety  and  pain  in  her  eyes.  Did  she  at 
that  moment  foresee  that  these  gorgeously  clad  nobles, 
headed  by  the  members  of  her   husband's   family  and 

18 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

by  those  of  her  own,  were  already  hatching  the  plots 
which  were  to  turn  her  treasures  into  mere  dross  and 
ashes?  None  can  say,  for  with  the  instinctive  dignity 
and  courage  which  never  failed  her,  she  raised  her 
drooping  head  and  faced  the  rest  of  the  ordeal  without 
flinching. 

The  marriage  ceremony  was  celebrated  on  the  24th 
of  April,  1854,  by  Prince  Archbishop  Eauscher,  and 
during  a  whole  week  Vienna  was  given  over  to  the  most 
magnificent  series  of  feasts  which  its  ancient  walls  had 
ever  witnessed.  Soon  afterwards  the  imperial  couple 
undertook  a  round  of  visits  throughout  their  dominions, 
extending  their  voyage  to  Hungary,  Lombardy,  and 
Venice,  where  the  beauty  of  the  Empress  created  the 
greatest  possible  impression. 

How  happy  these  two  young,  handsome,  and  kind- 
hearted  people  could  have  been  had  not  Archduchess 
Sophia  interfered ! 

If  ever  there  was  an  indisputable  example  of  the  harm 
which  can  be  worked  by  a  mother-in-law's  jealous  in- 
fluence upon  the  future  existence  of  a  loving  couple,  it 
is  to  be  found  in  the  relations  which  almost  at  once 
established  themselves  between  the  imperial  pair  and 
the  grim  Archduchess,  who  was  known  at  court  under 
the  title  of  "  Madame  Mere." 

Clever  as  few  women  are,  the  Archduchess  possessed 
a  real  genius  for  management.  A  remarkable  tactician, 
she  had  over  her  son  a  sway  which  she  never  dreamed 
of  surrendering  into  other  bauds,  and  little  did  she 
care  whether  her  interference  was  likely  to  imperil  the 
happiness  of  her  child  so  long  as  she  herself,  in  a 
political  and  in  a  private  capacity,  reigned  supreme. 
She  hated  her  daughter-in-law,  whom  she  alluded  to 
as  "  that  pretty  wax-doll ; "  and,  heedless  of  the  girl's 

19 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

feelings,  she  deliberately  set  her  aside,  making  it  impos- 
sible for  her  to  assume  her  natural  place  towards 
court  and  country.  Indeed,  she  went  so  far,  at  last, 
as  to  insinuate  herself  absolutely  between  those  two 
idyllic  lovers,  who  would  but  for  her  overbearing  selfish- 
ness have,  perchance,  enjoyed  the  perfect  bliss  of  a  well- 
assorted  union. 

Of  course,  at  that  time  Elizabeth  was  very  much 
in  love  with  her  "Franz,"  not  perhaps  in  the  way 
suggested  by  this  vastly  comprehensive  expression ; 
for  if  the  Empress  possessed  one  fault — many  would 
call  it  a  virtue — it  was  an  absolute  lack  of  human 
passion.  She  had  married,  not  in  the  least  knowing 
what  marriage  meant,  and  her  extreme  youth,  combined 
with  that  spirituality  which  causes  the  senses  to  sleep 
sometimes  for  ever,  made  it  impossible  for  her  to  share 
her  imperial  lover's  ardent  feelings.  The  obligations  of 
such  a  love  had  no  charm  for  her;  indeed,  as  I  heard 
it  from  her  own  lips,  they  at  first  frightened  her.  She 
was  a  quaint  combination  of  an  angel  and  a  goddess,  a 
Greek  nymph  and  a  Christian  virgin  blended  in  one; 
her  mother-in-law  described  her  as  a  child,  narrowly 
educated,  lacking  in  comprehension  and  sympathy,  and 
who  ought  to  be  more  than  satisfied  with  the  high  estate, 
boundless  wealth,  and  brilliant  surroundings  which  had 
now  become  hers ! 

Infinitely  cold,  very  cruel  and  tenacious,  and  an 
intrigante  in  the  full  sense  of  the  word,  the  Archduchess 
showed  plainly  the  immense  scorn  which  she  felt  at 
seeing  her  son,  one  of  the  mightiest  rulers  of  this  world, 
fall  more  and  more  under  the  sway  of  a  mere  child  of 
sixteen.  Her  only  comfort  lay  in  the  one  belief  that 
he  would  soon  tire  of  his  new  plaything,  become 
satiated  with  the  peach  when  once  the  bloom  had  been 

20 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

rubbed  from  it,  and  cease  to  hearken  to  the  song  of  the 
little  bird  which  she  deemed  had  but  one  note  in  its 
repertoire,  and  would  sing  it  so  constantly  that  its 
owner  would  feel  ready  to  wring  its  tender  little  throat 
into  silence. 

She  knew  well  that  her  boy  had  inherited  the  flighti- 
ness  and  inconstancy  of  his  race,  and  upon  this  know- 
ledge did  she  build  her  plan  of  battle.  Yet  although 
contemptuous  of  what  she  termed  his  momentary  weak- 
ness, she  nevertheless  attached  herself  more  closely  to 
him  than  she  had  ever  done  before ;  she  forced  him  to 
seek  her  advice,  nay,  she  pressed  her  opinion  upon  him 
ceaselessly  and  worked  untiringly  both  by  day  and 
night  to  maintain  the  supremacy  which  she  cherished 
above  all  other  things. 

Having  ascended  the  throne  at  a  moment  when  the 
country  was  shaken  to  its  very  centre,  the  Emperor  had 
from  the  beginning,  in  spite  of  his  extreme  youth,  shown 
a  statecraft,  a  good  sense,  and  an  energy  which  will 
hardly  be  appreciated  until  the  history  of  our  century 
is  written.  During  the  first  years  of  his  reign  he  had, 
however,  naturally  enough,  turned  for  support  in  the 
hours  of  discouragement  and  of  fatigue  to  the  dauntless 
strength  of  mind  which  his  mother  possessed  in  so  high 
a  degree,  and  during  the  dark  days  when  his  vast  empire 
all  but  slipped  from  his  grasp  he  was  glad  to  feel  her  at 
his  side,  urging  him  on,  and  helping  him  as  no  other 
counsellor  could  have  done.  This  the  Archduchess 
utilized  later,  when  peace  was  restored  and  when  she 
had  nothing  greater  to  dread  than  the  too  absorbing 
love  of  a  maiden,  which  she  feared  might  prove  an 
obstacle  to  the  continuance  of  her  former  position  with 
regard  to  the  great  ruler  who  was  her  favourite  child. 
She  loved  him  too,  undoubtedly,  but  she  loved  power 

21 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

better  still,  and  her  despotism  became  wellnigh  unbear- 
able after  the  advent  of  Elizabeth  at  the  court,  where 
she  had  until  then  played  the  leading  role. 

"  Uneasy  lies  the  head  that  wears  a  crown  ! "  Surely 
this  old  maxim  was  never  more  pathetically  verified  than 
by  the  life  of  Emperor  Franz-Joseph  of  Austria.  None 
can  deny  that  the  cup  of  bitterness  of  this  unfortu- 
nate monarch,  who  for  half  a  century  has  now  worn 
the  Hapsburg  crown  of  thorns,  and  who  ever  since  the 
day  when,  in  1848,  he  was  forced  by  his  mother  to 
become  the  ruler  of  Austria-Hungary  in  lieu  of  his 
uncle,  Emperor  Ferdinand,  "the  kind-hearted,"  has- 
been  filled  to  overflowing.  Misfortunes  and  catastrophes 
have  overtaken  him  from  all  sides.  He  saw  his  Italian 
provinces  wrenched  from  him  by  Napoleon  III.,  who  dic- 
tated peace  to  him  on  his  own  terms  after  Solferino  and 
Magenta.  The  six  weeks'  war  which  he  waged  with 
Germany  ended  for  him  at  Sadowa  with  humiliation 
and  sorrow.  He  lost  his  beloved  brother  Maximilian 
in  an  ignominious  fashion  in  Mexico;  his  only  son,, 
the  pride  and  joy  of  his  heart,  was  taken  from  him  by 
an  unrelenting  fate  and  under  circumstances  which 
made  his  death  especially  painful  for  the  Emperor  to 
endure ;  his  sister-in-law,  the  Duchess  d'Alengon,  to 
whom  he  was  devotedly  attached,  was  burned  alive  at 
the  appalling  conflagration  of  the  Bazar  de  la  Charite ; 
his  favourite  niece,  the  Queen  Kegent  of  Spain,  was 
humbled  into  the  dust  by  the  failure  of  her  subjects 
to  hold  their  own  in  the  war  against  America;  and,  to 
cap  the  climax  of  his  distress,  his  beautiful  and  lovely 
consort  was  foully  slain  by  the  knife  of  an  Anarchist. 

Surely  such  a  series  of  calamities  was  not  deserved  by 
Franz-Joseph,  for  his  sins  have  been,  after  all,  but  the 
faults  of  a  man  whose  position  was  so  exalted,  whose 

99 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

rank  so  high,  and  whose  personal  charm  so  great,  that 
he  would  have  needed  a  resolution  more  than  human  to 
resist  the  countless  temptations  continually  thrown  in 
his  way.  One  can  say  of  him  that  he  has  been  and  still 
is  the  most  popular  and  sincerely  beloved  monarch  in 
all  Christendom,  beloved,  too,  by  both  rich  and  poor,  by 
the  high-born  and  by  the  humbler  classes.  To  the  latter 
in  particular  he  has  been  always  accessible,  ever  ready 
to  lend  an  ear  to  their  personal  troubles  and  grievances, 
and  eager  to  redress  them.  Nothing  is  more  character- 
istic of  this  than  the  scenes  which  take  place  in  his 
antechamber  on  Monday  and  Thursday  mornings  when 
he  is  at  Vienna.  The  great  anteroom  is  thronged  with 
cardinals  and  prelates,  with  generals  and  statesmen,  with 
great  nobles  and  magnates,  and  mingling  with  all  these 
high  and  mighty  personages  are  Bohemian  bricklayers, 
miserable  creatures  from  the  poorer  quarters  of  Vienna, 
and  village  priests,  all  waiting  to  submit  their  troubles, 
their  sorrows,  their  wrongs,  and  their  grievances  to 
"unsern  Guten  Kaiser"  (our  good  Emperor).  I  need 
scarcely  add  that,  very  much  in  accordance  with  the 
teachings  of  the  New  Testament,  it  is  the  village  priest 
who  is  generally  received  before  the  scarlet-robed  cardinal, 
the  poorly  clad  peasant  before  the  cabinet  minister  in 
his  gold-embroidered  uniform,  and  the  farmer  before 
the  great  territorial  magnate. 

Gay  and  thoughtless  as  was  Franz-Joseph  before  he 
ascended  the  throne,  he  proved  thereafter  that  he  really 
meant  what  he  said  when,  on  the  early  morning  of  De- 
cember 2,  1848,  after  his  father  had  informed  him  that 
Emperor  Ferdinand  had  abdicated,  and  that  he,  Arch- 
duke Francis-Charles,  renounced  his  right  of  succession  to 
the  throne  in  favour  of  his  eldest  son,  he  pronounced  the 
historic  sentence,  "  Good-bye  to  the  days  of  my  youth." 

23 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Franz-Joseph  was  born  on  the  18th  of  August,  1830, 
during  the  reign  of  his  grandfather,  Emperor  Francis, 
and  was  from  the  very  day  of  his  birth  regarded,  espe- 
cially by  his  mother,  Archduchess  Sophia,  as  being  the 
natural  heir  to  the  crown,  for  his  father's  elder  brother, 
Ferdinand,  who  occupied  the  throne  of  Austria-Hungary 
from  1835  until  1848,  had  no  children,  and  was  always 
in  an  extremely  delicate  state  of  health.  On  March  13, 
1848,  revolution  broke  out  in  Vienna.  Prince  Metter- 
nich,  who  had  until  then  been  absolute  master  of  all 
the  foreign  affairs  of  the  country,  was  compelled  to  fly, 
and  poor,  weak  Emperor  Ferdinand  granted  his  people 
a  constitutional  government,  including  more  or  less 
liberty  of  the  press,  the  so-called  right  of  public  meet- 
ings, etc.  Nevertheless,  Vienna  was  by  no  means  pacified 
or  quieted ;  Lombardy  and  Venetia  broke  out  into  open 
rebellion,  the  King  of  Sardinia  declared  war  against 
Austria,  and  the  great  Austrian  leader,  Field-Marshal 
Radetzky,  was  forced  to  evacuate  Milan.  It  was  at 
this  moment  that  Franz- Joseph  joined  the  Austrian 
army  at  Verona,  and  displayed  such  personal  courage 
during  the  many  bloody  engagements  which  devastated 
Lombardy  during  the  month  of  May  that  Eadetzky 
expressed  his  opinion  with  regard  to  the  certainty  of 
the  young  Archduke  becoming  one  of  the  greatest 
generals  of  his  day.  In  the  meanwhile  Emperor  Ferdi- 
nand and  his  court  had  left  Vienna  for  Innsbruck,  in 
the  Tyrol,  and,  pressed  hard  by  the  machinations  of 
Archduchess  Sophia,  finally  decided  to  relinquish  the 
reins  of  government  to  the  stronger  and  younger  hands 
of  his  nephew,  Franz-Joseph.  The  ceremony  of  abdica- 
tion took  place  on  December  2,  1848,  at  the  Archiepis- 
copal  Palace  of  Olmiitz,  in  the  presence  of  Archduchess 
Sophia,    Archduke    Francis-Charles,    her    husband,    the 

24 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Cabinet  Ministers  of  the  Empire,  Prince  Windischgratz, 
Count  Griinne,  the  Banus  of  Croatia,  Baron  Jellachich, 
who  was  one  of  the  most  ardent  followers  of  Archduchess 
Sophia,  and  several  important  members  of  the  imperial 
family. 

Solemnly  and  impressively,  although  in  a  slightly 
trembling  voice,  Emperor  Ferdinand  pronounced  the 
words  which  made  him  pass  from  the  rank  of  a  ruling 
sovereign  to  that  of  a  mere  onlooker  upon  the  doings 
of  his  country : 

"For  very  weighty  reasons  we  have  irrevocably 
decided  to  lay  down  our  Imperial  Crown  in  favour  of 
our  beloved  nephew,  the  Most  Serene  Archduke  Franz- 
Joseph,  whom  we  hereby  declare  to  be  of  age.  Our 
beloved  brother,  the  Most  Serene  Archduke  Francis- 
Charles,  father  of  our  above-mentioned  most  serene 
nephew,  having  irrevocably  renounced  his  right  of  succes- 
sion to  a  throne  which  belongs  to  him  by  right,  accord- 
ing to  the  fundamental  laws  of  our  family,  and  of  the 
state,  in  favour  of  his  above-mentioned  son,  Franz- Joseph." 

Surely  never  did  a  monarch  ascend  his  throne  under 
more  difficult  circumstances  than  did  this  young  man, 
whose  pleasure-loving,  gay  disposition  made  him  bitterly 
regret  the  conditions  which  forced  upon  his  shoulders 
so  crushing  a  weight  of  responsibility. 

The  country  was  in  a  state  of  seething  rebellion  from 
one  end  to  the  other ;  the  Hungarian  Dictator,  Kossuth, 
had  declared  that  the  Hapsburg  Dynasty  had  forfeited 
its  right  to  the  crown  of  Hungary;  in  Vienna  the 
population  had  adopted  a  sullen  attitude  of  defiance, 
under  the  martial  law  instituted  there,  as  well  as  at 
Prague ;  and  in  the  Italian  provinces  the  most  awful 
civil  war  raged,  for  the  hatred  existing  between  the 
Italians  and  Austrians  had  grown  to  a  white-heat. 

25 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

It  would  take  too  long,  and  would  turn  this  work 
into  too  historical  a  one,  to  follow  here,  step  by  step,, 
the  various  stages  through  which  Austria  and  Hungary 
passed  before  at  last  peace  was,  after  a  fashion,  re- 
stored. 

Suffice  it  therefore  to  state  that  in  1853  matters  had 
sufficiently  quieted  down  to  render  admissible  the  words 
of  the  young  Emperor,  who  said  : 

"I  think  that  now  my  reign  may  become  one  of 
peace." 

This  was,  however,  to  be  far  from  the  case,  for  hardly 
had  the  Ernperor  tried  to  console  himself  for  past 
troubles  with  dreams  of  this  new  era,  when  on  February 
18,  1853,  his  own  career  came  within  an  ace  of  being 
cut  short  for  evermore.  While  Franz-Joseph  was  walk- 
ing on  the  old  fortifications  of  the  inner  town  of  Vienna, 
a  Hungarian  of  the  name  of  Joseph  Libenyi  threw 
himself  upon  the  young  monarch  and  plunged  a  long 
dagger  into  the  back  of  his  neck.  Fortunately  the  stiff 
military  collar  of  the  Emperor's  coat  somewhat  paralyzed 
the  violence  of  the  stroke.  But  it  was  nevertheless  a 
most  dangerous  wound,  and  Count  O'Donnel,  who  was 
then  aide-de-camp  to  the  Emperor,  and  who  had 
accompanied  him  on  that  morning,  fearing  that  the 
weapon  might  have  been  poisoned,  courageously  sucked 
the  wound.  The  Emperor,  who  had  until  that  moment 
remained  upright,  and  entreated  the  crowd,  which  had 
immediately  gathered,  not  to  hurt  his  would-be  assassin, 
fell  fainting  to  the  ground. 

It  is  on  the  spot  where  this  attentate  took  place 
that  now  stands  the  "  Votiv-Kirche,"  which  is  one  of 
the  finest  and  most  severely  and  magnificently  Gothic 
churches  in  the  whole  world. 

None  can  deny  that  Franz-Joseph  must  have  been 

26 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

endowed  with  more  than  ordinary  sagacity  and  tact  to 
be  able  to  subdue  the  many  turbulent  peoples  under 
his  rule,  and  to  obtain  over  them  an  authority  which  is 
really  enormous.  His  way  of  speaking  with  those  who 
seek  an  audience  from  him,  his  apparent  interest  in  the 
most  trivial  details  concerning  those  who  are  favoured 
by  an  interview  with  him,  are  very  characteristic.  At 
the  reception  of  delegations,  his  Majesty  makes  a  point 
of  wearing  a  Hungarian  uniform  to  receive  Magyars ; 
that  of  an  Austrian  officer  when  greeting  his  Cisleithan 
subjects,  and  the  uniform  of  a  Polish  regiment  when 
welcoming  Poles.  On  these  occasions  he  speaks  to 
more  than  a  hundred  people  in  rapid  succession,  and 
every  one  of  his  remarks  shows  a  thorough  acquaintance 
with  all  the  affairs,  great  and  small,  of  the  monarchy. 
Foreign  affairs  and  railway  tariffs,  commercial  treaties 
and  parliamentary  procedure,  the  army,  the  navy,  agri- 
culture, the  budget,  the  troublesome  young  Czechs,  and 
the  poor  Jewish  population  in  Galicia — all  form  the 
subjects  of  his  kindly  and  paternal  remarks.  Nor  is 
the  comic  element  always  wanting  in  these  conversa- 
tions. Once,  when  addressing  a  Polish  delegate,  Franz- 
Joseph  asked  how  things  were  going  on  in  Galicia. 
"  Oh,  sire,  we  are  suffering  from  a  dreadful  plague  of 
field-mice,"  answered  the  delegate,  ruefully.  "Ah,  das 
ist  recht  fatal"  (Ah,  that  is  very  unfortunate),  answered 
the  Emperor,  with  a  smile. 

All  these  things  are  trifles,  yet  they  mean  a  good 
deal,  for  every  delegate  comes  away  happy  after  having 
spoken  with  the  Emperor,  and  feeling  that  his  Majesty 
is  quite  as  much  interested  in  his  particular  business, 
whatever  that  may  be,  as  he  is  himself.  If  he  had  a 
grievance,  he  has  had  an  opportunity  of  making  it 
known.     If  he  had  a  favour  to  ask,  the  chance  of  so 

27 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

doing  has  been  given  to  him.  Now  multiply  the 
impression  produced  upon  one  hundred  and  twenty 
delegates  a  thousand  or  a  hundred  thousand  fold,  by 
remembering  that  twice  a  week  the  Emperor  is  accessible 
to  all  classes  of  his  subjects,  and  the  result  may  be 
easily  imagined.  Any  one  who  has  serious  business 
with  him  may  see  him,  and  speak  Avith  him  quite  alone, 
without  even  a  secretary  being  present.  The  applicant, 
whatever  may  be  his  station,  is  ushered  into  a  study, 
and  finds  the  Emperor  in  a  plain  uniform,  without  a 
single  decoration.  He  may  say  what  he  likes,  sure  of 
being  hearkened  to  with  patient  attention.  The  scenes 
that  have  been  enacted  in  the  Emperor's  private 
chamber  no  chronicler  will  ever  tell.  Of  the  acts  of 
kindness,  mercy,  and  charity  shown,  of  the  swift  redress 
of  wrongs,  of  the  shrewd,  soldierly  advice  given,  and 
of  the  imperial  magnanimity  displayed  at  all  times,  no 
record  has  been  kept,  excepting  in  the  Emperor's  own 
memory,  if  even  there. 

The  war  with  Italy,  in  1859,  almost  broke  his  Majesty's 
proud  heart ;  and  after  the  peace  of  Villa  Franca,  which 
was  signed  by  Franz- Joseph  and  Napoleon  III.  on 
July  11th,  and  confirmed  at  Zurich  in  the  following 
November,  the  Emperor  returned  to  Vienna  in  a  very 
sad  and  dejected  mood.  There  can  be  no  doubt  what- 
soever that  on  the  luckless  battle-fields  of  Italy  he  had 
courted  death.  After  Solferino,  as  he  was  retreating 
with  his  escort,  a  French  battery  opened  fire  on  the 
imperial  party.  The  Emperor  checked  his  charger,  and 
remained  as  motionless  as  a  statue  carved  out  of  stone 
under  the  burning  shower  of  iron  which  fell  about  him. 
Death,  however,  strongly  resembles  a  coquette,  and  evades 
those  who  seek  her.  Thus  was  the  unfortunate  sovereign, 
who  has  since  been  called  "  Franz-Joseph  the  Unlucky," 

28 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

spared,  so  that  he  might  drain  to  the  very   dregs  his 
cup  of  misfortune  and  sorrow. 

One  of  the  heaviest  of  these  sorrows  was  caused  by 
the  stormy  days  of  1866,  when  Bismarck  defeated  the 
Austrian  forces  at  Sadowa ;  for  this  capped  the  climax 
of  the  Emperor's  humiliation,  and  embittered  him  to 
such  an  extent  that  it  was  only  in  1873,  when  the  first 
Universal  International  Exhibition,  which  was  held  at 
Vienna,  took  place,  that  he  began  to  realize  how  much 
he  had  really  done  for  his  country,  and  how  prosperous 
it  had  become  in  his  hands.  Enlightenment  and  progress 
had  indeed  been  made  to  follow  wherever  his  sceptre 
pointed.  Trade  and  commerce  had  revived,  and  the 
city  of  Vienna  itself  was  fast  becoming  one  of  the  hand- 
somest in  the  universe. 

The  one  flaw  in  a  character  which  was  otherwise  so 
fine  was  the  Emperor's  love  for  flirtations  of  a  most 
pronounced  description.  It  was  believed  by  him,  as  by 
others  who  thought  that  they  knew  him  well,  that  his 
love  match  with  a  princess  so  beautiful  and  so  com- 
pletely attractive  as  Elizabeth  would  cure  him  of  this 
hereditary  trait.  This  was,  however,  a  lamentable  error, 
and  the  origin  of  the  Empress's  first  poignant  sorrows 
is  to  be  found  in  the  Myerete  of  her  consort,  whose 
numerous  infidelities  made  her  shed  so  many  tears  in 
secret. 


29 


CHAPTER   II 

As  soon  as  the  young  couple  were  definitely  established 
at  Vienna,  le  parti  dc  Madame  Mere  grew  every  day 
stronger,  covert  taunts  were  not  spared  to  the  young 
Empress,  Avho,  with  smiling  lips  and  an  aching  heart, 
was  made  to  understand  that  the  portionless  daughter 
of  a  mere  non-royal  duke  was  not  worthy  of  the  honour 
that  had  been  done  her.  She  was  treated  by  all  with 
a  coldness  and  disdain  calculated  to  break  the  spirit 
of  a  less  courageous  woman,  but  as  she  always  hated 
to  be  an  object  of  pity,  she  never  complained  to  the 
Emperor,  who,  save  in  her  gradual  if  very  marked  recoil 
from  all  those  appearances  in  public  which  she  could 
possibly  avoid,  and  in  her  increasing  sadness,  noticed  no 
change  in  her.  He  himself  treated  her  with  the  most 
constant  courtesy  and  solicitous  care,  but  a  misunder- 
standing arose  between  them,  fomented  by  wounded 
pride  and  feeling  on  her  side,  and  on  his  by  the  con- 
tinual intriguing  which  was  brought  to  bear  upon  him. 
Yet  Elizabeth  still  dearly  loved  the  man  who  had 
come  into  her  life  to  change,  at  first,  all  its  dulness 
into  fields  of  light  and  of  joy ;  the  distant  sound  of  his 
step  still  thrilled  her  with  delight,  the  very  sound  of  his 
voice  made  her  pulses  beat  quicker,  but  the  spiritual 
and  enthusiastic  love  which  she  bore  him  was  little  by 
little  forced  back  into  the  innermost  recesses  of  her 
heart,  and  the  very  excess  of  it  held  her  pale  and  silent 
when  she  should  have  confided  her  sufferings  to  him, 

30 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

for  fear  of  appearing  in  his  eyes  the  troublesome  child 
her  mother-in-law  told  her  so  frequently  that  she  was. 

It  was  a  pity  indeed  that  the  Emperor  had  no  leisure, 
or  no  desire,  to  study  his  wife's  character  with  more  care 
then,  for  he  would  easily  have  discerned  those  gifts, 
mental  and  intellectual,  which  make  up  the  noblest  of 
temperaments.  He  was  as  yet  violently,  passionately 
in  love  with  her  matchless  beauty,  but  affairs  of  state, 
social  successes,  outdoor  sports,  to  which  he  gave 
almost  his  every  free  moment,  and  the  beginning  of  a 
vague  return  to  his  former  less  commendable  pleasures, 
widened  daily  the  gulf  which  was  to  force  them  apart 
more  and  more  as  time  went  on.  Nor  can  Franz-Joseph 
be  blamed  very  severely  either,  at  that  time,  for  this 
state  of  affairs.  Women  had  thrown  themselves  into  his 
arms  from  his  earliest  youth,  not  only  for  the  sake  of 
his  rank  and  sovereign  position,  but  also  on  account  of 
his  handsome  face  and  presence,  of  his  winning  manner, 
and  of  the  many  gifts  and  talents  which  made  him  one 
of  the  most  attractive  of  men.  He  consequently,  in 
spite  of  his  ever  singularly  chivalrous  ways,  did  not 
esteem  women  very  highly ;  they  had  flattered  and 
cajoled  him  too  much  for  that,  and  wooed  him  also, 
until  something  very  like  contempt  took  the  place  of 
gratitude  where  they  were  concerned.  His  wife  was  to 
him  a  thing  apart,  so  lovely  and  pure  and  innocent  that 
she  fulfilled  his  ideal  of  absolute  perfection ;  but  unfortu- 
nately he  fell  into  the  unpardonable  error  of  believing 
her  to  be  too  young,  too  inexperienced,  and  too  in- 
different to  become  his  real  companion  and  comrade. 

Poor  Empress !  One  year  after  her  marriage  her 
future  seemed  so  immensely  long  and  wearisome  that 
she  felt  disheartened  when  she  thought  of  it;  her  rank 
was  too  lofty,  her  riches  too  great  for  ambition  to  present 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

any  hiring  charm  for  her,  especially  as  all  inroads  into 
politics  were  forbidden  to  her  by  "  Madame  Mere's " 
own  insatiate  ambition  in  that  direction.  What  waste 
this  all  made  of  a  superfine  nature,  sedulously  forced 
back  into  apparent  worthlessness  ! 

Jealousy  had  not  at  that  time  entered  her  heart,  but 
this  also  was  not  long  to  be  spared  her.  One  morning 
the  old  nurse  to  whom  I  referred  before,  and  who  had 
remained  in  her  service,  entered  her  Majesty's  dressing- 
room  at  the  usual  hour,  and  not  finding  her  there,  ven- 
tured to  go  and  seek  her  in  the  little  adjoining  oratory. 

This  small  sanctuary  was  a  favourite  retreat  of  the 
Empress,  and  she  had  decorated  it  with  that  delicate 
taste  so  peculiarly  her  own.  The  walls  were  of  alabaster, 
as  was  the  tiny  altar,  above  which  hung  a  wonderful 
crucifix  of  onyx  and  silver;  golden  candelabra  raised 
their  perfumed  candles  among  a  wealth  of  snowy 
blossoms,  and  shed  a  soft  radiance,  day  and  night,  upon 
a  priceless  triptych  of  Lucas  von  Cranach,  and  upon  a 
prie-dieu,  embroidered  on  white  velvet  by  Elizabeth's 
clever  little  hands. 

She  herself  was  kneeling  down,  with  her  arms  leaning 
on  the  altar-rail,  her  magnificent  hair  streaming  over 
her  loose  white  robe,  and  her  head  buried  in  her  hands, 
while  convulsive  sobs  shook  her  whole  slender  form. 
For  a  moment  the  old  woman  watched  her  wistfully. 
She  knew  that  her  darling  was  not  happy,  but  she  had 
never  seen  her  display  such  a  passion  of  grief  as  she 
now  beheld.  Moreover,  she  was  aware  of  the  fact  that 
to  this  daughter  of  an  ancient  race  pity  seemed  the  last 
of  insults,  the  alms  thrown  to  some  proud,  impoverished 
being,  which  brands  him  as  a  beggar  for  evermore. 
So  she  hesitated  to  advance  and  to  offer  her  any  kind 
of  consolation. 

32 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Impelled,  however,  by  the  adoration  which  she  felt 
for  her  imperial  mistress,  she  drew  slowly  nearer  and 
touched  the  weeping  figure.  The  face  which  the  young 
Empress  raised  towards  her  had  lost  in  a  few  hours  all 
its  childish  bloom:  it  was  the  pale,  haggard,  drawn 
countenance  of  a  woman  who  had  left  behind  her  all 
the  careless  joys  of  youth.  More  lovely,  perhaps,  than 
ever  before  in  its  tear-glazed  distress,  it  nevertheless 
struck  her  old  and  devoted  attendant's  heart  with 
terror. 

"  My  little  one — my  poor  darling ! "  she  exclaimed, 

reverting  in  her  amazement  and  sorrow  to  the  fashion 

in   which   she   used   formerly   to   address   her   nursling. 

'  What  have  they  done  to  you  now  ?     Oh,  the  wretches ! 

the  cruel  monsters !     Tell  me  what  has  hurt  you  so." 

In  a  broken  voice,  very  unlike  her  own,  the  Empress 
said,  shudderingly  :  "  I  wish  I  were  dead  !  " 

The  words  escaped  her  almost  unawares;  evidently 
Avhen  they  were  uttered  she  would  have  given  worlds  to 
recall  them.  She  grew  paler  than  ever,  her  expression 
hardened  into  something  like  anger,  and  rising  from 
her  knees,  she  pushed  away  her  trailing  hair  and  said, 
impatiently : 

"  You  mean  well,  but  you  must  not  ask  me  such 
questions,  for  I  cannot  bear  to  pain  you  by  refusing  to 
confide  in  you,  and  my  pain  is  not  one  which  I  can 
speak  of  to  any  living  soul." 

And  after  kissing  the  old  woman  tenderly  to  soften 
the  effect  caused  by  her  words,  she  left  her  standing  in 
deepest  consternation  on  the  threshold  of  the  oratory, 
while  with  a  firm,  proud  step  she  returned  to  the  solitude 
of  her  bedroom. 

There   was   at   that   time   at   court   a   lady   who  for 

convenience'  sake  I  shall  call  the  Countess  von  L . 

33  D 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

She  was  a  very  handsome  woman,  in  a  pink  and  white 
blonde  way,  a  la  Rubens.  She  was  not  extraordinarily 
refined  or  talented,  and  certainly  not  at  all  ethereal, 
but  she  was  very  chic  and  very  amusing ;  she  dressed 
admirably,  and  was  quite  the  rage,  especially  since  she 
was  known  to  be  "  Madame  Mere's "  especial  protegee. 
At  a  great  ball  given  in  honour  of  some  foreign  royalties 
the  Emperor  seemed  much  struck  by  this  type  of  sensuous 
beauty,  and  devoted  more  of  his  time  to  her  than  strict 
etiquette  allowed.  Many  an  unkind,  if  just,  comment 
was  made  about  this  incident,  and  the  good  souls  who 
formed  the  Empress's  entourage  took  good  care  that  it 
should  assume  in  her  eyes  the  maximum  of  the  meaning 
it  could  be  made  to  bear.  She  gave  no  outward  sign 
of  having  understood  these  charitable  allusions,  but  her 
grave,  colourless  face,  that  had  already  become  so  cold  in 
its  innocence,  now  assumed  an  entirely  novel  expression, 
so  melancholy,  so  thoughtful,  that  she  was  immediately 
taxed  with  moodiness  and  sulkiness.  She  now  seldom 
smiled,  and  when  she  did  so  it  was  in  a  chilly,  half- 
hearted way  which  was  painful  to  behold. 

Her  beloved  hero,  the  husband  whom  she  had  held 
would  be  her  eternal  lover,  was  tottering  upon  the 
pedestal  of  virtues  which  she  had  erected  for  him  in 
her  soul.  All  the  horrors  of  doubt  and  of  sin  fell 
suddenly  and  without  warning  upon  her  ignorance  of 
social  wickedness,  and  a  great  disgust  overcame  her, 
for  she  was  informed  by  many  willing  and  poisonous 
mouths  that  her  consort's  attentions  were  not  restricted 
to  the  fair  Countess,  and  that  there  were  many  hours 
in  his  life  spent  after  a  fashion  of  which  he  would  be 
more  than  unwilling  to  render  her  an  account. 

For  this  bitter  awakening  of  her  love-dream  she  was 
also  indebted  to  her  mother-in-law.     The  old  lady — who 

34 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

then,  by-the-by,  considered  herself  only  in  the  very 
prime  of  life,  and  who  had  by  no  means  abdicated  her 
rights  to  universal  admiration — seeing  that  her  son  was 
more  enamoured  with  his  lovely  wife  than  she  thought  it 
safe  or  desirable  for  him  to  be,  managed  to  surround 
him  with  those  temptations  to  which  a  man  of  the 
world  yields  so  easily,  and  the  satisfaction  of  which  he 
calls  by  the  convenient  name  of  peccadilloes. 

The  Archduchess  was  by  no  means  an  immoral 
woman ;  she  even  posed  as  an  infinitely  religious  one ; 
but  to  her  the  raison  d'etat  was  more  important  than 
all  else,  and  she  was  absolutely  convinced  that  the 
influence  possessed  by  Elizabeth  over  the  Emperor 
would  work  to  no  good  end.  That  she  should  bear  him 
healthy  children  was  all  that  she  asked  of  her  son's 
young  wife ;  the  rest  had  no  interest  for  her. 

This  question  of  maternity  was  an  all-important  one, 
and  was  represented  as  such  to  the  Empress,  who  said 
once,  sadly,  to  her  own  mother,  in  one  of  her  few 
moments  of  semi-confidence : 

"  Should  I  remain  childless,  I  wonder  if  Franz  would 
follow  Napoleon's  example  and  cause  our  union  to  be 
annulled  ?  " 

Much  horrified,  the  duchess-mother,  who  was  a 
kind-hearted,  sagacious,  and  loving  woman,  replied, 
gently : 

"  You  are  unreasonable,  my  child ;  you  must  not 
become  morbid.  Franz  loves  you  dearly — you  know  it 
well ;  and  as  to  Napoleon,  savants  have  proved  long 
ere  this  that  his  heart,  or  what  served  him  in  lieu  of 
one,  was  ossified.  In  my  opinion  he  was,  perhaps,  the 
greatest  general  that  ever  existed,  but  he  was  also  an 
ambitious  wretch,  who  sacrificed  all  humanity  to  his 
own  desires  and  interests." 

35 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

"Such  wretches  still  exist,"  murmured  the  young 
Empress,  with  a  heavy  sigh. 

"  My  dearest,"  continued  her  mother,  "  there  are  two 
sorts  of  women  in  this  world — those  who  always  get 
their  own  way,  and  those  who  never  get  it.  You  seem 
to  me  to  be  one  of  the  latter :  you  have  remarkable 
abilities  and  talents,  a  deep,  thoughtful  mind,  and  you 
do  not  lack  character;  but  what  you  do  lack  is  the 
power  of  stooping  to  the  level  of  your  associates,  of 
bending  yourself  to  the  exigencies  of  modernism.  You 
belong  to  another  period,  that  in  which  saints  and 
martyrs  existed.  Do  not  attract  notice  by  being  too 
obviously  the  first,  or  break  your  own  heart  by  fancying 
yourself  to  be  the  latter." 

This  conversation  was  repeated  to  me  by  the  Empress 
more  than  twenty  years  after  it  had  taken  place,  and 
she  then  added,  with  a  rather  wan  smile : 

"I  am  afraid,  my  dear,  that  I  did  not  follow  my 
mother's  excellent  advice,  for  I  have  often  been  taunted 
with  posing  both  as  a  saint  and  as  a  martyr,  although, 
I  am  sure,  I  never  believed  myself  burdened  with  two 
such  calamities  as  saintliness  and  martyrdom." 

Duchess  Ludovica  in  Bavaria,  Empress  Elizabeth's 
mother,  was  one  of  the  most  sympathetic  princesses  in 
Europe.  She  was  the  sister  of  the  Emperor's  mother, 
Archduchess  Sophia,  otherwise  called  at  the  court  of 
Vienna,  "Madame  Mere,"  but  she  was  a  perfect  anti- 
thesis to  her,  and  her  kindness,  sweetness  of  temper,  as 
well  as  her  talents  and  remarkable  sagacity,  were  justly 
celebrated.  A  magnificent  performer  on  the  piano,  the 
organ,  and  the  zither,  she  spoke  Greek  and  Italian 
with  amazing  fluency,  and  even  up  to  the  time  of  her 
death,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four,  she  spent 
many  hours  a   day   in   study.     She  was   a  remarkably 

36 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

well-preserved  woman — the  astounding  manner  in  which 
beauty  remained  hers  to  the  last  may  be  accounted  for 
by  her  invariable  habit  of  riding  and  driving  in  all 
kinds  of  weather,  and  by  the  cold  baths  in  which  she 
indulged  twice  daily.  She  was  an  excellent  mother, 
and  deeply  devoted  to  her  husband,  who  died  shortly 
before  her,  and  almost  immediately  after  the  celebration 
of  their  golden  wedding. 

He  was  a  very  witty  and  somewhat  eccentric — in  fact, 
altogether  a  very  interesting  person.  Passionately  fond 
of  dogs,  he  treated  the  numerous  ones  which  he  possessed 
just  as  if  they  were  children,  much  to  the  amusement  of 
his  courtiers.  Being,  moreover,  endowed  with  an  extra- 
ordinarily original  turn  of  mind,  Duke  Maximilian  was 
the  hero  of  many  an  amusing  anecdote. 

One  day  when  the  Duke  was  travelling  from  Munich 
to  Vienna,  without  submitting  himself  to  any  of  the  fuss 
which  generally  surrounds  the  voyages  of  princes,  a 
gentleman,  at  the  moment  when  the  train  was  about  to 
steam  out  of  the  station,  entered  the  ordinary  first-class 
carriage  in  which  he  was  established.  A  conversation 
soon  began  between  them,  in  the  course  of  which  the 
unknown  mentioned  that  he  was  one  of  the  greatest 
watch-makers  in  Austria,  and  ended  by  asking  Duke 
Maximilian  what  his  profession  was,  and  why  he  was 
going  to  Vienna. 

"  Well,  to  tell  you  the  truth,"  replied  Maximilian,  "  I 
have  at  present  no  profession,  and  I  am  going  to  Vienna 
to  visit  my  daughter  and  son-in-law." 

"Ah,  and  is  your  son-in-law  in  business?" 

"  Yes  and  no ;  he  is  a  pretty  busy  man,  if  that  is  what 
you  want  to  know." 

"  Has  he  a  good  position  ?  " 

"  Yes,  a  pretty  good  position." 

37 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

"  What  kind  of  a  position  is  it  ?  " 

"  He  is  an  emperor." 

The  Viennese  watch-maker  began  to  laugh  loudly, 
thinking,  of  course,  that  his  travelling  companion  was 
joking,  and  when  they  finally  arrived  at  their  destination, 
the  vivacious  merchant,  without  waiting  until  the  train 
had  completely  stopped,  gave  a  playful  dig  in  the  ducal 
ribs,  and  jumping  out  of  the  railway  carriage,  called  out 
to  the  astounded  old  gentleman : 

"  That  was  a  good  joke  of  yours,  but  I  am  not  so  easily 
taken  in.  Good-bye,  and  good  luck ;  hope  to  see  you 
again  soon.  Don't  forget  to  introduce  me  to  your 
imperial  son-in-law  some  day." 

At  dinner  that  evening  Duke  Maximilian  related  his 
adventure  to  his  greatly  entertained  children,  and  the 
Emperor,  who  was  then  still  exceedingly  fond  of  fun, 
hastened  next  morning  to  send  for  the  watch-maker  in 
question.  Upon  being  ushered  into  the  Emperor's 
presence,  the  unfortunate  man,  who  at  a  glance  recog- 
nized, sitting  in  an  armchair,  beside  the  Emperor's 
writing-table,  the  benevolent-looking  gentleman  with 
whom  he  had  travelled  from  Munich  on  the  previous 
day,  was  frightened  out  of  his  senses.  But  he  was  soon 
reassured  by  the  Emperor's  kind  smile,  and,  moreover, 
delighted  beyond  measure  at  receiving  an  order  for  some 
dozen  or  so  of  his  very  finest  watches. 

"  You  see,"  laughed  the  sovereign,  "  that  my  position 
is  not  a  bad  one,  but  don't  you  go  envying  it,  for  it 
brings  with  it  often  more  thorns  than  roses." 

There  is  in  the  palace  of  Laxenburg,  near  Vienna,  a 
magnificent  painting  representing  Duchess  Ludovica 
surrounded  by  all  her  beautiful  daughters.  The  Duchess 
was  so  proud  of  them  that  when  she  used  in  early  days 
to  go  out  walking  with  them  she  would  exclaim  : 

38 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

"  Voila  mon  attelage  de  rpostc  "  (Look  at  my  handsome 
team).  She  might  indeed  be  well  pleased  with  the 
extreme  beauty  of  the  princesses,  for  all  of  them  were 
singularly  comely,  although  Elizabeth  was,  and  always 
remained,  the  pearl  of  them  all. 

Princess  de  la  Tour-et- Taxis,  who  died  in  1891,  was 
a  woman  of  a  great  deal  of  personal  charm.  She 
resembled  greatly  that  other  sister,  the  unfortunate 
Queen  of  Naples,  who  played  so  brilliant  a  role  during 
the  siege  of  Gaeta,  when,  placing  herself  at  the  head  of 
her  husband's  beleaguered  army,  she  walked  about  the 
ramparts  under  a  hail  of  bullets  and  infused  her  in- 
domitable courage  into  the  hearts  of  the  most  timid  by 
her  magnificent  attitude  in  the  face  of  the  enemy. 

Countess  Trani  was  more  like  the  Duchess  d'Alen- 
con,  whose  gentle,  noble-hearted  nature  inclined  her  to 
think  everlastingly  of  good  works,  and  who  employed 
the  greatest  portion  of  her  life  in  succouring  the  poor 
and  the  afflicted.  It  was  while  working  for  them  at 
the  Bazar  de  la  Charite,  in  Paris,  that  the  Duchess 
found  a  terrible  death  among  raging  flames.  The 
sorrow  caused  by  this  new  tragedy,  Avhich  was  one  of 
so  many,  drove  Empress  Elizabeth  almost  to  inconsolable 
despair. 

It  is  claimed  that  when  the  Duchess  d'Alenoon  was 
yet  a  young  girl  her  awful  end  was  predicted  to  her  by 
a  gypsy,  who  said  to  her: 

"Do  not  fear  water,  but  beware  of  another  element, 
namely,  the  natural  enemy  of  water,  for  it  will  attack 
you  when  you  are  employed  on  an  angel's  errand  and 
will  cut  short  your  career." 

The  Princess  who  was  later  on  to  become  the  Queen 
of  Naples  was  at  that  moment  with  her  sister,  and 
turning  to  the  Zingara  woman,  she  asked  her  to  predict 

39 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS  < 

her  own  future.  Peering  into  the  girl's  eyes,  and  then 
gazing  for  an  instant  into  the  soft  palm  of  her  little 
hand,  the  gypsy  replied: 

"  You  will  become  a  queen,  but  amid  blood,  war,  and 
disaster  you  will  lose  your  crown  in  spite  of  the  energy 
and  courage  which  you  will  show.  Fear  Ked  Men,  for 
it  will  be  through  them  that  you  will  ultimately  be 
vanquished." 

Subsequently,  as  it  is  shown  in  history,  it  was  by 
Garibaldi's  "Bed  Men"  that  the  King  and  Queen  of 
Naples  were  robbed  of  their  crown.  In  both  cases  the 
gypsy  spoke  the  truth. 

The  tourists  who  visited,  a  few  years  ago,  the  shores 
of  the  Starenberg  Lake  in  the  Bavarian  Tyrol  may  still 
remember  the  brief  stop  of  the  steamer  at  the  Possen- 
hoffen  pier,  and  the  silvery-haired  old  lady  who  was 
generally  standing  on  the  verdant  slopes  of  the  chateau 
grounds,  acknowledging  with  stately  courtesy  the  re- 
spectful salute  of  the  captain  and  of  his  crew. 

This  was  Duchess  Ludovica.  Her  life  was  embittered 
by  many  sorrows  caused  to  her  tender  mother's  heart 
by  her  children's  countless  misfortunes.  The  first  of 
these  was  brought  about  by  the  extraordinary  conduct 
of  King  Louis  of  Bavaria  when  he  jilted  Princess 
Sophia,  later  Duchess  d'Alencon,  in  so  cruel  a  manner. 
The  reasons  for  the  King's  conduct  in  this  matter  are 
not  generally  known.  Shortly  after  his  engagement 
to  the  Princess  a  very  pretty  actress  fell  violently  in 
love  with  him — he  was  then  a  most  remarkably  good- 
looking  young  man — and  so  great  became  her  passion 
that  she  decided  to  try  to  capture  the  monarch's 
heart  and  to  supplant  in  his  affections  the  charming 
Princess  to  whom  he  had  so  lately  become  affianced. 
With  a  view  of  accomplishing  this  praiseworthy  plan 

40 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

she  left  the  stage  and  obtained,  through  the  influence 
of  some  high  personages  whom  she  knew,  the  position 
of  reader  to  the  Princess,  this  enabling  her,  of  course, 
to  come  into  personal  contact  with  the  King.  As  I 
remarked  just  now,  this  enterprising  damsel  was  ex- 
tremely beautiful,  and  Louis  could  not  very  well  help 
observing  her  physical  advantages.  When  he  met  her 
he  used  to  chat  and  banter,  without,  however,  forgetting 
in  the  very  slightest  way  his  allegiance  to  the  Princess. 
One  fine  day  the  ci-devant  actress  hit  upon  the  Machi- 
avelian  idea  of  taking  from  the  Princess  a  half-hoop  of 
turquoises  shaped  like  forget-me-nots,  one  of  the  many 
presents  sent  by  Louis  to  his  fiancee,  and  of  giving  it 
to  a  young  officer  of  the  King's  body-guard  with  whom 
she  had,  for  that  purpose,  begun  a  mild  flirtation, 
requesting  him  to  wear  it  for  her  sake.  The  enamoured 
youth  was  only  too  happy  to  do  so,  and  flaunted  it 
carelessly  before  the  very  eyes  of  his  royal  master. 
The  character  of  King  Louis  of  Bavaria  was  even  in 
those  days  an  odd  one,  and  instead  of  inquiring  from 
the  young  man  how  he  came  to  possess  this  jewel,  he 
took  it  for  granted  that  the  Princess  was  untrue  to  him, 
and  in  a  fit  of  almost  demoniacal  fury  he  wrote  her  a 
quite  unpardonable  letter,  breaking  off  his  engagement. 
The  unhappy  girl,  wounded  to  the  heart  and  unable  to 
understand  what  had  caused  such  an  attitude  on  the 
part  of  her  erstwhile  fiance,  was  further  dismayed  when 
she  discovered  that  her  fair  reader  had  fled  from  the 
palace  and  had  taken  up  her  abode  in  a  little  chalet 
situated  within  the  limits  of  the  royal  park.  Believing, 
naturally  enough,  that  the  cause  of  the  King's  behaviour 
towards  herself  was  to  be  found  in  his  preference  for  her 
protegee,  she  sent  back  all  the  presents  which  he  had 
given  to  her,  excepting  of  course  the  turquoise  ring, 

41 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

which   she   believed   that   she   must   have   accidentally 
lost.     The  absence  of  this  jewel  from  among  the  others 
returned  to  him  aroused  the  King's  suspicions,  and  he 
mentioned  the  fact  to  the  lady  who  had  caused  him  to 
act  so  abominably  towards  the  Princess.     They  were  at 
that  moment   floating  about  on  Louis's  favourite  lake 
in    one    of    those    swan-shaped    boats    for    which    the 
"  Marchen-Prinz "  had  so  much   partiality.     The  moon 
was  shining   high   up   in    the  heavens  and  casting  its 
silvery   glory   upon  the  surface  of  the   water,  and  the 
young  dame   thought  this  a   perfectly  fitting  decor  dc 
scene   for    a    sensational    revelation ;    therefore,    casting 
herself  at   her   lover's   feet,   she   confessed  to  him  the 
trick   she   had  played  upon   him   in  order   to  win   his 
love.     Here  again  the  singular  and  fiery  temper  of  the 
monarch  overcame  him.     Taking  the  kneeling  girl  by 
the  waist,  he  flung  her  from  him  right  into  the  lake, 
and  without  turning  his  head  propelled  the  swan-boat 
towards  the  shore.     Fortunately  for  the  drowning  lady, 
some  game-keepers  heard  her  cries  for  help  and  rescued 
her  from  a  watery  grave.     She  fled  from  Bavaria ;  and 
the  King  hastened  to  Possenhoffen  in  order  to  explain 
matters  and  make  his  peace  with  Princess  Sophia.     He 
found,  however,  that  this  was  an   impossible   task,  for 
she  refused   to  see  him,  and  declared  that  she  would 
never  consent  to  become  the  wife  of  a  man  who    had 
mistrusted  and  insulted  her. 


42 


CHAPTER  III 

One  of  the  accusations  which  has  been  most  frequently 
launched  at  the  Empress  Elizabeth  is  that  she  was  not 
a  good  mother.  This  is  quite  as  untrue  as  all  the  other 
villainies  alleged  by  her  many  detractors. 

When  her  first  little  daughter  was  born  the  Empress 
felt  that  a  brilliant  ray  of  joy  had  come  into  her  life. 
During  the  months  preceding  this  event  she  had  suffered 
as  only  over-sensitive  natures  can  suffer,  natures  so 
refined,  so  exquisitely  delicate  that  they  find  no  comfort 
in  unburdening  their  souls  by  confidence,  or  in  heralding 
their  wrongs  by  reviling  others.  She  was  ashamed  of 
the  piteous  jealousy  which  kept  growing  in  her  heart, 
but  she  could  not  resist  the  inroads  which  it  made  into 
her  peace  of  mind,  until  she  felt  nothing  but  a  sickening 
despondency.  The  Emperor  still  continued  to  see  no 
great  alteration  in  her,  save  that  which  he  ascribed  to 
her  naturally  failing  health. 

She  was  always  calm  and  gentle,  and  he  was  far  from 
guessing  that  beneath  the  serious  smile  of  the  sweet 
mouth,  which  served  so  effectually  to  hide  her  sorrows, 
there  throbbed  the  most  torturing  of  doubts  and  of  fears. 

The  birth  of  her  child  brought  more  cheerful  and 
hopeful  ideas  in  its  train.  "  Now,"  she  said  to  her 
mother,  "my  existence  cannot  be  said  to  have  been 
utterly  useless ;  besides,  children  form  an  unbreakable 
tie,  even  between  husbands  and  wives  who  are  otherwise 
absolutely  indifferent  to  each  other." 

43 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

It  was  a  desolate  kind  of  consolation  for  so  young  a 
girl,  but  it  helped  her  wonderfully,  until  she  discovered 
that  the  baby  not  being  of  the  right  sex,  everybody 
was  disappointed,  even  the  Emperor  himself,  who  pas- 
sionately desired  a  male  heir  to  his  crown.  This  was 
but  another  blow  to  her,  and  her  melancholy — which 
her  entourage  chose  to  call  "melancholia" — increased 
steadily. 

The  baby,  on  whose  downy  head  Elizabeth  had  built 
so  many  hopes,  was,  however,  not  destined  to  remain  long 
on  this  earth  as  a  consolation  and  a  joy  to  her  young 
mother,  for  before  she  was  two  years  old  she  died  of 
some  swift  and  terrible  infant  ailment  at  Buda-Pesth, 
where  her  imperial  parents  were  spending  the  spring. 
When  the  little  coffin,  covered  with  a  shower  of  white 
roses,  and  containing  the  small  corpse  of  tiny  Arch- 
duchess Sophia-Dorothea,  had  been  taken  from  her  side, 
the  Empress  realized  for  the  first  time  that  there  are 
worse  miseries  here  below  than  disappointment  and 
jealousy.  She  struggled  against  a  feeling  of  utter  revolt 
against  her  fate,  but  all  her  self-restraint  was  broken 
down  at  one  stroke  by  the  sudden  appearance  of  a 
superb  white  dog  which  had  been  the  playfellow  and 
devoted  companion  of  the  dead  bady.  Flinging  herself 
upon  her  knees,  she  threw  her  arms  about  the  shaggy 
neck  of  the  animal,  and  wept  such  tears  as  it  must  pain 
the  very  angels  in  heaven  to  see  a  human  creature  shed. 

All  her  love  became  centred  upon  little  Archduchess 
Gisela,  who  had  made  her  appearance  in  the  world  in 
1856,  and  also  upon  the  hope  of  bearing  a  male  heir  to 
the  crown,  since  this  seemed  to  be  looked  upon  as  the 
most  important  aim  of  her  existence.  With  these  senti- 
ments to  sustain  her  drooping  spirits,  she  tried  her  best 
to  brace  up  against  the  continual  malevolence  of  those 

44 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

about  her.  This  was  hard  enough  to  bear  without  there 
being  added  the  steady  diminution  of  her  husband's 
first  adoring  devotion. 

Wearied,  perhaps  not  entirely  without  cause,  by  his 
wife's  silence,  self-effacement,  and  unspoken  reproach,  for 
his  mother  made  it  her  most  sacred  duty  to  give  other 
names  to  these  defects,  and  to  point  out  to  him  what  a 
blunder  he  made  in  uniting  himself  to  a  mere  beauty 
who  had  neither  mind  nor  heart,  and  who  was  as  chill 
as  an  arctic  landscape,  he  threw  himself  into  the  whirl 
of  the  gayest  society  on  earth.  Kind  and  considerate  he 
always  was  to  Elizabeth,  when  they  were  together,  but 
as  soon  as  he  had  left  her,  even  the  memory  of  those 
great,  sad,  luminous  eyes,  the  pathetic  pallor  of  that 
lovely  oval  face,  ceased  to  haunt  him  as  of  yore,  and  he 
thought  of  nothing  save  his  many  pleasures  and  occu- 
pations— the  council  of  ministers  over  which  he  was  to 
preside,  or  the  ball  he  was  to  honour  with  his  presence. 

At  last,  a  little  before  she  attained  her  twenty-first 
year,  the  Empress  gave  birth  to  a  son,  a  beautiful  child, 
somewhat  delicate  of  appearance,  but  with  whom  even  his 
irascible  paternal  grandmother  deigned  to  be  satisfied. 

"  Nobody  has  seemed  to  need  me  until  now,  not  even 
my  little  girl,  who  is  kept  away  from  me  so  much,"  said 
poor  Elizabeth ;  "  but  my  boy  I  shall  not  permit  to  be 
taken  away  to  distant  nurseries  and  the  care  of  strangers ; 
he  will  need  me,  and  we  will  be  haj)py  through  each 
other." 

In  this,  however,  she  was  mistaken  again.  The  heir 
apparent  to  one  of  the  greatest  empires  of  this  planet 
was  not  to  be  brought  up  by  a  "chit  of  a  girl  who 
did  not  even  know  enough  to  behave  herself" — such 
was  "Madame  Mere's"  charitable  verdict.  The  baby 
Archduke  was,  therefore,  as  soon  as  was  feasible,  installed 

45 


THE  MARTYKDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

in  a  far-off  portion  of  the  palace,  where,  as  his  kindly 
granddame  judiciously  remarked,  "he  would  be  much 
better  than  in  the  hands  of  his  silly  young  mother." 
The  "silly  young  mother"  remonstrated  in  vain.  She 
was  curtly  told  that  the  boy  was  perfectly  well  cared 
for,  and  treated  in  a  much  better  and  wiser  way  than 
if  she  had  the  management  of  him. 

The  Empress  nevertheless  insisted  upon  the  loving 
duties  of  maternity,  upon  the  consolation  it  would  be  to 
her  to  look  after  her  own  darling,  as  any  other  mother 
would  be  allowed  to  do. 

"  Pshaw ! "  replied  the  Archduchess,  impatiently, 
"what  consolation  do  you  need?  You  are  one  of  the 
handsomest  women  in  the  world,  you  have  the  finest 
jewels,  and  the  grandest  position  one  can  imagine ;  that 
ought  to  satisfy  you.  Do  not  grow  morbid  and  sentimen- 
tal ;  it  is  in  execrable  taste.  Enjoy  yourself,  laugh  and 
be  merry ;  you  have  played  the  ridiculous  role  of  victim 
long  enough  ;  one  gets  weary  of  watching  such  a  perform- 
ance on  the  part  of  the  luckiest  of  ail  human  beings." 

Thoroughly  roused  this  time,  the  Empress  swept  out 
of  her  mother-in-law's  presence,  swearing  to  herself  that 
come   what   might,   she   would   "play    the    victim"   no 
longer,  and  would  follow  all  this  good  advice  in  so  far 
as  her  nature  permitted  her  to  do  so. 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  hint  that  "  Madame  Mere  "  was 
anxious  to  see  her  son's  wife  take  her  words  too  literally 
and  embark  upon  a  life  of  flirtations  and  deceits,  but  still 
it  is  impossible  to  deny  that  her  strange  counsels  might 
have  easily  worked  a  havoc  which  would  have  rendered 
her  son  the  talk  of  Europe,  had  Elizabeth  not  been  cast 
in  a  mould  that  had  not  one  weak  point  in  its  make. 

The  Empress  was — commonplace  as  the  expression 
may  seem — a  thoroughly  honest  woman.    To  her  delicate, 

46 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

fastidious  taste  there  was  a  sort  of  horror  in  being  com- 
promised ;  it  was  low  and  common,  and  only  good  for 
"mundanes"  belonging  to  the  type  represented  by  the 

famous  Countess  de  L ,  who,  by-the-way,  had  long 

since  been  replaced  in  the  Emperor's  regard  by  a  host 
of  younger  and  yet  more  attractive  persons. 

The  chilliness  of  temperament  to  which  I  have 
alluded  before  may  have  had  something  to  do  with  the 
lovely  young  sovereign's  remaining  for  ever  unsullied 
by  even  so  much  as  a  questionable  action.  She  was 
always  as  loyal  to  her  husband  in  thought  and  in  deed 
as  if  he  had  shown  her  at  all  times  becoming  fidelitv. 
She  possessed  over  all  men  who  approached  her  a  charm 
too  complete  to  be  ignored ;  for,  after  attracting  them 
by  her  exceeding  loveliness,  she  retained  their  attention 
and  admiration  by  her  many  other  remarkable  qualities 
of  conversation,  wit,  and  brilliancy;  but  whenever  they 
attempted  to  cross  the  slender  barrier  which  separates 
a  courtier  from  an  outspoken  admirer,  they  found,  so 
to  speak,  a  wall  of  ice  facing  them,  impalpable,  but 
absolutely  impassable.  The  greatest  lady-killer  or 
blagueur  at  court  never  dared  to  hint  at  a  possible 
weakness  where  his  fair  sovereign  was  concerned.  As 
for  their  womankind,  when  they  were  particularly  filled 
with  jealous  envy  they  permitted  themselves  unseemly 
jokes  and  predictions  with  the  facility  which  women 
bring  into  these  small  and  cowardly  acts  of  revenge 
towards  those  who  are  too  blameless  not  to  unconsciously 
shame  them;  but  they  did  not  go  unrebuked.  These 
amiable  ladies  were,  of  course,  quite  certain  that  the 
Empress  had  never  shared  and  would  never  share  their 
follies ;  but  none  the  less  they  could  not  resist  the 
delicate  pleasure  of  talking  evil  of  one  who  towered 
immeasurably  above  them  in  every  respect. 

47 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

In  spite  of  all  that  was  said  in  that  line,  it  is, 
however,  an  averred  and  irrefutable  fact  that  at  no 
instant  of  her  life  has  the  breath  of  scandal  had  any- 
right  to  touch  the  Empress's  pure,  transparent,  and 
unalloyed  record  of  virtue — a  record  of  such  perfection 
as  has  seldom  been  attained  by  so  beautiful  a  woman, 
or,  for  the  matter  of  that,  by  any  woman,  whether 
beautiful  or  the  reverse. 

Once,  and  only  once,  did  a  man  so  far  forget  what 
was  due  to  his  sovereign,  and  also  to  his  own  honour, 
as  to  yield  to  the  wellnigh  irresistible  temptation  of 
avowing  to  her  the  passion  which  she  had  aroused  in 
his  heart.  This  scene,  which  was  related  to  me  after 
many  years  by  the  unfortunate  gentleman  himself,  took 
place  at  the  palace  of  Schbnbrunn,  the  favourite  summer 
residence  of  the  Emperor,  in  the  immediate  outskirts 
of  Vienna.  It  was  on  the  night  of  a  state  ball,  and 
the  Empress,  fatigued  by  the  heat  and  glare  of  the 
salons,  had  stepped  out  upon  the  terrace,  illumined  by 
the    chastened    radiance    of    the    full-moon.      She  was 

accompanied  by  the  young  Count  H ,  a  great  noble, 

and  at  that  time  one  of  the  handsomest  and  most  dashing 
officers  of  the  Emperor's  body-guard.  Elizabeth  had  at 
that  time  attained  the  fulness  of  her  flawless  beauty. 
Clad  from  head  to  foot  in  snowy  laces,  with  great 
emeralds,  her  favourite  gem,  gleaming  on  her  white 
neck  and  in  the  masses  of  her  perfumed  hair,  she  paced 
slowly  up  and  down  along  the  rose-covered  marble 
balustrade,  talking  to  her  companion  in  that  melodious 
low  voice  which  had  something  so  captivating  about  it. 
Suddenly,    as    they    reached    a    secluded    and   shadowy 

corner  of  the  long  mosaic-paved    walk,   Count   H , 

losing  all  control  over  his  feelings,  cast  himself  at  her 
feet,  and  confessed  his  love,  in  broken,  tremulous  accents. 

48 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

He  was  terribly  in  earnest,  and  words  came  to  his  lips 
like  a  furious  torrent  let  loose  by  the  breaking  up  of 
ice  in  the  spring — words  unconsidered  and  unwise 
beyond  all  pardon. 

He  clung  to  the  hem  of  her  skirts,  which  he  had 
grasped,  his  eyes  sparkling  like  fire,  his  whole  frame 
shaking  with  fierce  emotion.  With  one  SAvift  move- 
ment she  shook  herself  free,  and  looked  at  him  as  she 
might  have  looked  at  some  infuriated  animal  which 
she  wished  to  cow.  He  saw  that  she  was  implacably 
offended.  It  was  the  first  time  that  any  one  had  ever 
presumed  to  thus  insult  her. 

"  How  dare  you ! "  she  exclaimed,  almost  choking 
with  a  fury  which  was  all  the  more  terrible  because  it 
was  so  foreign  to  her  nature  to  yield  to  any  outward 
sign  of  anger. 

"  Beloved !  beloved !  do  not  repulse  me,  do  not  send 
me  away  from  you,"  murmured  the  young  Count ;  but 
he  talked  to  the  empty  air,  for  she  had  already  moved 
away  rapidly  and  had  entered  the  palace  by  a  side  door, 
leaving  him  to  stagger,  blinded  by  tears  of  despair  and 
of  remorse,  into  the  darkness  of  the  gardens. 

This  regrettable  incident  had  had  a  witness  in  an  old 
and  valued  friend  of  the  Emperor,  who  was  of  course 
at  once  informed  of  what  had  taken  place.  Two  days 
later  the  Count  was  exiled  to  his  vast  possessions  in  the 
south  of  Hungary,  and  during  many  long  years  he  was 
kept  there  by  the  orders  of  his  imperial  master. 

Time  flew  on,  bringing  on  its  wings  much  pain  and 
sorrow,  as  well  as  countless  humiliations,  to  the  Empress. 
More  and  more  were  her  slightest  actions  distorted. 
Whenever  she  appeared  in  public  at  Vienna — much  as 
she  disliked  doing  so — she  was  regularly  mobbed  by 
pushing,    struggling    crowds    wild    to    scan    her    lovely 

49  E 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

features  as  closely  as  possible,  and  for  weeks  afterwards, 
her  personal  appearance,  her  looks,  her  every  gesture 
served  as  a  theme  for  the  most  extraordinary  exaggera- 
tions and  nonsensical  anecdotes,  which  had  not  a  bit  of 
truth  in  them,  nor  the  least  right  to  be  set  afoot.  Her 
delicate,  narcissus-like  complexion  was  said  to  be  the 
result  of  an  enamelling  process ;  her  erect,  dignified 
bearing  was  dubbed  with  the  appellations  of  pride  and 
haughtiness.  The  common  herd  failed  to  comprehend 
her  peculiar  style  of  beauty,  for  it  was  of  a  kind  whicli 
had  nothing  gross  or  ordinary  about  it,  but  was  ethereal 
in  the  extreme,  and  which  indeed  was  retained  to  the 
very  last. 

One  day,  at  the  close  of  a  court  ball,  as  she  was 
walking  down  the  steps  of  the  Eittersaal,  her  long 
train  became  inadvertently  entangled  around  the  feet 
of  the  Papal  Nuncio,  who  was  standing  at  the  head 
of  the  stairs  and  bowing  low  as  she  passed.  Amid 
the  covert  smiles  and  sneers  of  the  courtiers  forming 
a  hedge  on  either  side  of  the  great  Hall  of  Ceremonies, 
the  Empress  disengaged  herself  with  a  rosy  blush,  but 
later  on  she  was  fated  to  hear  many  unseemly  hints 
and  exasperating  pleasantries  about  this  so-termed 
"  brusque  separation  of  Church  and  State  !  "  Slight  as 
were  all  these  hints  and  unkind  interpretations,  yet  they 
had  the  power  of  unnerving  the  Empress  to  an  incon- 
ceivable extent,  and  her  heart  turned  completely  from 
her  Austrian  subjects  to  give  itself  unrestrainedly  to 
Hungary  and  to  the  Magyars. 

At  last  the  intrigues  and  cabals  encouraged  by 
"  Madame  Mere,"  and  by  her  many  adherents  and 
followers,  found  their  fruition,  and  a  complete  estrange- 
ment— not  to  call  it  by  a  more  severe  name — arose 
between    the    young    couple.      The    reasons    for    this 

50 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

wretched  affair,  as  discussed  then  by  the  classes  and 
the  masses,  are  both  too  foul  and  too  untrue  to  be  even 
mentioned  here.  "  One  lends  to  the  rich,"  as  the  old 
proverb  goes ;  and  although  the  Emperor  deserved  serious 
blame  and  censure,  yet  his  crime  against  his  lovely 
and  innocent  consort  was  by  no  means  so  black  as  it 
was  made  out  to  be.  Nevertheless,  his  "flirtations" 
had  become  of  so  flagrant  a  nature  that  it  was  not  in 
ordinary  flesh  and  blood  to  overlook  them,  far  less  was 
it  possible  for  a  woman  of  the  Empress's  proud  temper 
to  stand  the  countless  slights  thus  passed  upon  her. 

A  very  unpalatable  adventure,  of  which  her  husband 
was  the  hero  during  one  of  his  hunting  expeditions  in  the 
mountains,  and  of  which  she  was  immediately  informed 
by  the  no  doubt  well-meaning  and  charitably  intentioned 
wife  of  one  of  his  Majesty's  confidants  and  boon  com- 
panions, broke  the  last  restraint  upon  her  indignation, 
and  without  informing  anybody  of  her  intentions  she 
hurriedly  left  the  imperial  palace  of  Vienna  for  Trieste, 
and  set  sail  for  the  Ionian  Islands,  on  board  her  yacht, 
fully  resolved  never  to  allow  her  husband  to  approach 
her  or  to  speak  to  her  again. 

The  amount  of  scandal  caused  by  this  flight  may  be 
more  easily  imagined  than  described,  and  it  is  evident 
that  even  the  Empress  herself  had  no  conception  at 
lirst  of  the  tempest  of  abuse  she  was  arousing  by  thus 
abruptly  departing  from  her  usual  rules  of  silent  suffer- 
ing and  reserve.  But  when  once  the  deed  was  done  she 
would  sooner  have  died  a  thousand  deaths  than  have 
turned  from  her  course.  She  was  thoroughly  unhappy, 
and  had  been  so  for  a  long  time,  and  when  a  woman 
is  unhappy  she  is  never  very  wise.  The  step  she  took 
was  extreme,  but  her  youth  seems  a  sufficient  excuse, 
for  in  youth  such  wrongs  as  those  which  she  had  endured 

51 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

seem  to  fill  earth  and  heaven  with  their  magnitude ;  yet 
she  brought  about  her  head,  and  about  the  Emperor's 
too,  a  thousand  hornets'-nests  of  slander  and  useless 
misconstruction,  and  there  were  very  few,  either  at 
home  or  abroad,  ready  to  admit  that  if  the  vengeance 
she  took  was  perchance  too  drastic,  it  was  at  any  rate  a 
very  dignified  one. 

Not  quite  so  dignified  was  the  pursuit  which  the,  for 
the  moment,  remorseful  Emperor  at  once  undertook 
after  his  truant  Empress. 

The  latter,  however,  was  firmly  resolved  not  to  give 
him  a  chance  of  pleading  his  own  cause,  which,  had  he 
only  known  her  better,  he  would  have  understood  to  be 
practically  a  lost  one.     A  faithful  and  devoted  woman, 

Countess  X ,  who  had  accompanied  her,  told  me  once 

that  in  all  her  profound  experience  of  human  nature 
she  had  never  seen  such  a  change  as  came  at  that 
time  upon  the  Empress.  She  never  regretted  for  one 
instant  what  she  had  done ;  she  certified  to  the  gentle- 
woman in  question,  over  and  over  again,  that  she  would 
be  ready  to  repeat  it  at  any  moment  were  she  called 
upon  to  ratify  her  choice,  for  it  seemed  to  her  that  it 
was  the  only  thing  for  her  to  do  in  common  honour  and 
self-defence.  All  the  pent-up  anger  and  disgust  which 
her  soul  contained  broke  forth  with  such  force  that  she 
positively  frightened  those  about  her.  She  hardened 
her  heart  against  everybody,  and  even  the  mention  of 
her  children  failed  to  make  any  impression  upon  her. 

Naturally  unselfish  to  a  singular  degree,  she  now 
dropped  into  the  habit  of  one  given  up  to  that  most 
blamable  of  all  defects :  she  wrapped  herself  in  her 
own  bitter,  poignant  sorrow,  to  the  exclusion  of  every- 
thing else.  She  faced  her  self-elected  widowhood — the 
saddest  of  all — with  a  kind  of  strange  relish,  for  at  last 

52 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

she  felt  free  to  be  herself,  and  to  drop  the  mask  of  cold 
indifference  which  she  had  worn  so  long  and  so  bravely. 

When  she  heard  that  her  husband  had  started  after 
her  and  was  making  his  way  towards  her  place  of 
refuge,  she,  without  losing  a  minute,  boarded  her  yacht 
again,  and  before  many  hours  had  elapsed  was  off  to  the 
island  of  Minorca.  There  again  she  was  informed  that 
his  Majesty  had  resolved  to  track  her,  and  from  thence 
she  departed  immediately,  scarcely  conscious  of  any 
feeling  or  wish  save  that  of  escaping  him.  She  crossed 
the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  and  never  paused  until  she  had 
reached  the  grey  expanse  of  the  Atlantic. 

Despairing  of  catching  up  with  her,  and  moreover 
realizing  the  ridicule  with  which  he  was  covering  him- 
self, the  Emperor  returned  to  his  own  dominions,  where 
he  arrived  a  sadder  and  wiser  man. 

If  anybody  ever  felt  regret  for  past  indiscretions, 
surely  this  great  ruler,  before  whom  multitudes  bowed, 
did  so  now,  and  shame  as  well  as  remorse  filled  his  cup 
of  bitterness  to  the  very  brim.  The  true  character  of 
his  wife  began  to  dawn  upon  him ;  he  knew  that  since 
all  eternity  many  women,  both  handsome  and  highly 
born,  had  suffered,  and  were  suffering  from  the  same 
indignities  which  he  had  put  upon  Elizabeth ;  but,  from 
the  very  force  of  the  remedy  which  she  had  chosen,  he 
gathered  that  her  nature  had  now  changed  to  that  of  a 
proud  woman,  ripened  by  sorrow  beyond  her  years,  and 
that  it  would  be  almost  an  impossible  achievement  to 
make  his  peace  with  her.  She  might  break,  but  bend 
she  would  not,  whatever  the  strength  used  against  her. 

AVhile  he  was  occupied  in  vain  regrets  and  in  yet 
vainer  plans  of  future  reforms  and  alterations  of  circum- 
stances, over  which  he  had  by  his  own  fault  momentarily 
lost   all  control,  the  Empress  was   first   making  a  tour 

53 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

through  the  Fjords  of  Norway,  and  then  a  conscientious 
exploration  of  the  Mediterranean  coasts.  Greece,  Algeria, 
and  Egypt  interested  her  passionately,  and  she  was 
able  to  go  wherever  she  listed  in  absolute  freedom,  for 
she  maintained  when  she  so  willed  it  the  strictest  of 
incognitos. 

In  Algeria  she  took  possession  of  a  charming  villa, 
with  blue  and  white  awnings  shading  its  verandas,  and 
a  broad  terrace-roof,  half  hidden  in  palm  and  pepper 
trees,  surrounded  by  a  large  garden,  where  fountains 
bubbled  in  pink  marble  basins.  The  cool,  silent  rooms 
were  adorned  with  curious  costly  things  of  Arabian 
workmanship — old  embroideries  in  dull  gold  and  silver 
on  a  ground  of  silk  or  brocade,  curious  antique  braziers 
of  silver  and  brass,  trailing  draperies  wrought  in  silks 
of  melting  hues,  quaint  pieces  of  furniture  in  mouchara- 
bien  work,  and  great  bronze  vases,  which,  according  to 
her  wishes,  were  always  filled  with  a  wealth  of  flowers 
and  plants.  Arab  servants,  soft  of  tread  and  noiseless 
of  movement,  filled  her  anterooms,  and  some  Barb  horses 
for  the  carriages  and  for  the  saddle  took  places  in  her 
stables.  In  this  pretty  abode  she  attempted  vainly  to 
forget  her  woes,  and  led  a  life  that  was  outwardly  at 
least  a  happy  one. 

Alone  in  the  dreamy  repose  of  the  large  garden, 
alone  during  the  balmy  moonlit  evenings  on  the  marble 
terraces,  alone  in  the  shadowy  stillness  of  the  house,  it 
was  yet  very  hard,  sometimes,  for  her  to  maintain  her 
composure.  She  ceaselessly  endeavoured  to  conquer 
these  tendencies  to  sadness  by  physical  exhaustion. 
She  would  jump  on  her  horse  and  gallop  off  towards 
the  desert  in  the  cool  hours  of  dawn  or  in  the  starlit 
evenings.  She  had  a  deep  veneration  for  this  old 
African  soil,  so  full  of  relics  of  the  past,  and  Mas  never 

54 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

tired  of  gazing  at  the  great  rolling  plains  of  orange- 
coloured  sand,  the  awful  grandeur  of  which  has  remained 
undisturbed  since  the  beginning  of  the  world,  defying 
the  power  of  man.  This  sight  exercised  a  potent  spell 
upon  her  mind,  and  the  impression  grew  upon  her  that 
she  could  not  fail  to  find  calm  and  comfort  when 
encircled  by  these  seemingly  endless  horizons.  A  certain 
sense  of  awe  stole  gradually  into  her  heart,  and  soothed 
her  nervousness  and  pain.  Many  an  hour  did  she  spend 
in  the  saddle,  dashing  through  the  dry  air  in  breathless 
and  pauseless  speed,  borne  on  and  on  by  her  fleet  Arab 
horse,  sweeping  by  villages  or  peaceful  Bedouin  douars, 
passing  files  of  camels  and  of  laden  mules  on  her  way  as 
she  rode  over  the  sun-scorched  roads  of  the  vast  shadow- 
less plateaux  which  are  the  antechambers  of  the  great 
Sahara  desert.  She  generally  rode  alone ;  of  assistance 
she  needed  none.  A  rider  of  her  merit  could  spring 
as  lightly  as  a  bird  into  her  saddle,  and  she  loved  the 
intoxication  of  complete  solitude  and  the  unchecked 
rapidity  of  her  flight.  League  after  league  passed  away 
like  a  dream,  and  it  was  only  when  she  felt  her  horse 
quiver  under  her  with  fatigue  that  she  would  slacken  her 
pace  and  let  the  bridle  drop  upon  his  neck. 

Days  and  weeks  and  months  drifted  on,  and  still 
Emperor  Franz- Joseph's  brilliant  court  remained  deserted 
by  the  fair,  graceful  figure  which  had  once  been  barely 
tolerated  there,  but  which  now  was  missed  by  many. 
"Madame  Mere"  began  to  observe  that  she  could  no 
longer  afford  to  be  too  sure  of  her  ground,  and  that 
when,  with  pious  eyes  raised  towards  an  unjust  Heaven, 
she  threw  out  hints  about  her  daughter-in-law's  un- 
pardonable conduct  and  incredible  ungratefulness,  a 
respectful  silence  was  all  that  she  received  in  return. 
Men  who   had  always  admired   the  Empress,  and   who, 

55 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

besides,  had  very  good  reasons  for  knowing  that  she 
was  sinned  against  and  not  sinning,  even  raised  their 
voices  in  her  defence,  but,  unfortunately,  the  truth 
compels  me  to  say  that  vox  femince  is  often  vox  Dei,  and 
almost  without  exception  women  took  part  against  the 
woman  who  had  never  shown  them  anything  but  kind- 
ness, and  who  was  now  so  lonely.  They  agreed  with 
touching  unanimity  that  it  was  her  lack  of  amiability 
which  had  caused  all  the  trouble,  and  added  that  the 
primary  reason  of  every  subsequent  catastrophe  was  the 
foolishness  of  their  sovereign — this,  of  course,  was 
murmured  sotto  voce  behind  the  shelter  of  a  fan  or  the 
fragrance  of  a  bouquet — in  throwing  himself  away  on 
an  unsympathetic,  heartless  girl,  whose  brain  had  been 
turned  by  her  sudden  magnificent  change  of  circum- 
stances. 

One  could  write  volumes  about  this  period  of  Eliza- 
beth's existence.  It  was  during  this  time  that,  remem- 
bering only  too  well  the  many  slurs  concerning  her 
"insufficient  education"  which  had  been  thrust  at  her, 
she  undertook  to  remedy  this  defect,  for  which  the 
early  age  at  which  she  had  been  married  was  alone  to 
blame,  and  began  to  study  with  an  earnestness  seldom 
to  be  found  in  man  or  woman.  She  bent  her  supple 
form  over  black-letter  folios  and  Latin  works,  Greek 
authors  and  old  poets,  devoting  hours  and  hours  to 
studying  many  dead  and  living  languages.  She  wrote 
some  very  remarkable  descriptions  of  her  travels,  and, 
to  lighten  the  tedium  of  this  labour,  made  hundreds  of 
exquisite  sketches  of  the  places  she  visited,  or  played 
on  the  piano  or  the  zither,  for  she  was  a  wonderful 
musician.  It  was  then  also  that  weariness  of  heart  from 
her  loveless  existence  caused  her  once  more  to  turn  with 
all-absorbing  ardour  to  the  cherished  companions  of  her 

56 


THE    MARTYRDOM    OF   AN    EMPRESS 

childhood  and  early  youth — namely,  to  horses  and  to 
dogs — for  comfort  and  affection.  She  went  out  in  all 
Aveathers,  minding  neither  storm  nor  rain,  boisterous 
winds,  intense  cold,  nor  burning  heat.  Often,  drenched 
to  the  skin,  she  would  walk  or  ride  for  days  at  a  time, 
taking  no  harm  whatever,  for  it  is  a  singular  fact  that 
an  absolute  indifference  to  the  consequences  of  physical 
imprudence  often  bestows  complete  immunity  from  all 
bodily  ailments  or  accidents.  Soldiers  who  rush  out  of 
the  trenches  seeking  death  pass  unscathed  through  a 
hail  of  bullets,  whereas  the  coward  who  cringes  behind 
a  bastion  is  almost  certain  to  get  his  deserts,  by  being 
the  first  to  be  hit.  She  still  possessed  her  sensitive 
horror  of  compassion  or  of  comment,  only  now  it  was 
intensified  to  an  almost  morbid  extent,  and  she  preferred 
her  poor  empty  life  as  a  wanderer  to  the  molestation 
and  interference  of  those  who  had  made  such  a  wreck 
of  her  fair  young  days. 

"You  have  acted  as  if  you,  and  not  your  husband, 
were  guilty,"  her  mother  wrote  to  her.  "I  do  not 
deny  that  there  is  nobility  in  your  refusing  to  retain 
the  advantages  of  your  position  at  court  since  you 
fancy  that  you  no  lunger  possess  Franz's  heart,  but 
many  things  which  the  world  need  never  have  known 
are  now  public  property.  The  higher  we  stand  on  the 
social  ladder,  the  less  right  have  we  to  gratify  our  own 
private  vengeances,  or  to  set  ourselves  free  from  painful 
obligations.  Kemember  the  good  old  saying,  'Noblesse 
oblige.''  You  are  the  integrant  part  of  a  great  nation's 
honour ;  you  are  faithless  to  your  trust  and  to  the  tradi- 
tions of  your  ancestry  when  you  thus  act  on  the  spur  of 
personal  injury  and  passion." 

At  heart  Elizabeth  knew  that  her  mother  was  right. 
She  acknowledged  as  much  to  me  when  one  day,  while 

57 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

looking  together  over  a  casket  filled  with  old  letters, 
she  showed  me  the  one  referred  to  above.  But  yet  her 
reply  to  it  was  couched  in  terms  which  plainly  indicated 
that  as  long  as  she  never  did  anything  to  lower  her 
consort's  high  estate  in  the  eyes  of  his  people,  and  as 
long  as  her  own  conscience  did  not  reproach  her,  she 
was  justified  in  declining  to  exist  in  hypocrisy,  and  in 
what  seemed  to  her  to  be  moral  degradation. 

Her  husband's  offences  against  her  were  very  grave, 
but  she  was  forced  to  confess  to  herself,  now  that  she 
had  time  for  reflection,  that  they  were  inseparable  from 
such  a  temperament  as  his.  The  mistake  had  been  that 
when  she  had  given  herself  to  him  she  had  not  known 
enough  of  life,  or  of  what  life  brings  with  it ;  of  rude 
awakenings  from  preconceived  ideals,  of  sin,  of  shame, 
and  of  disappointment. 

As  usual,  public  rumour  excused  the  husband's  weak- 
nesses and  distorted  the  wife's  failings.  Proud,  delicate 
natures  disdain  the  favour  of  the  world,  but  cruel  indeed 
is  the  manner  in  which  they  are  made  to  pay  for  this 
disdain.  She  endeavoured  to  school  herself  to  forgive 
the  Emperor's  numerous  so-called  affaires  de  cceur,  her 
better  judgment  showing  her  that  the  "  Anointed  of  the 
Lord"  are  frequently  subjected  to  temptations  from 
which  ordinary  mortals  are  exempt,  especially  when,  as 
in  the  case  of  her  husband,  they  combine  in  their  person 
good  looks,  supreme  elegance,  extreme  chivalry  of 
behaviour,  and  a  marvellous  charm  of  manner.  She 
knew  that  loyalty  on  the  part  of  the  fair  sex  towards 
the  sovereign  in  most  cases  assumes  a  terribly  demon- 
strative form.  They  ruffle  their  feathers  and  put  forth 
all  their  charms  for  the  purpose  of  attracting  royal  or 
imperial  favour,  with  a  tenacity  which  leaves  no  room 
for    doubt    as    to    their    intentions.      Elizabeth's    deep 

58 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

religious  feeling  urged  her,  too,  towards  the  side  of 
mercy,  but  her  pride  had  taken  amis,  and  the  time  had 
not  yet  come  when  she  became  able  to  conquer  it,  and 
to  relent  towards  her  husband. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  Emperor  was  growing  more 
and  more  uncomfortable,  and  more  and  more  conscience- 
stricken.  He  had  for  a  long  time  excused  in  his  own 
sight  his  transgressions,  and  errors,  and  follies,  but  the 
sense  of  his  inexcusable  disloyalty  towards  his  blame- 
less wife  grew  insensibly  upon  him,  and  he  soon  could 
no  longer  palliate  or  waive  them  off  with  sophistry. 
Swayed  to  and  fro  by  conflicting  emotions,  at  times  he 
could  scarcely  resist  the  impulse  which  urged  him  to 
obtain  from  her,  by  hook  or  crook,  an  interview  whicli 
would  permit  him  to  cast  himself  at  her  feet,  and  to 
implore  her  forgiveness  and  mercy;  while  during  the 
hours  when  he  was  submitted  to  his  mother's  indirect, 
nay  even  direct,  influence,  he  once  more  became  the 
slave  of  his  wilful,  passionate  nature,  forgot  for  the 
nonce  that  men  whose  names  are  continually  before 
the  world  should,  under  any  circumstances,  keep  them 
clean  and  hold  them  high,  cast  all  repentance  to  the 
wind,  and  believed  himself  quite  sincerely  to  be  the 
injured  one. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  dwell  at  length  upon  the  details 
of  this  long  conflict,  during  which  there  took  place  a 
few  strictly  official  meetings  between  the  imperial  pair, 
meetings  that  were  solely  brought  about  to  close  the 
mouths  of  the  people,  and  where,  pride  gaining  once 
more  its  full  strength,  the  young  couple  refused  with 
lamentable  obstinacy  to  talk  together  in  private  even 
for  five  minutes. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  Empress  was  forced 
by  reasons  of  state  and  of  policy  to  make  a.ctc  de  presence 

59 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

in  her  husband's  dominions  and  at  her  husband's  court 
once  or  twice  during  each  year.  But  these  meteor-like 
visits,  made  almost  unbearable  to  her  by  the  dread  of 
being  obliged  to  resume  her  conjugal  life  with  her 
husband,  already  called  forth,  from  those  who  were  not 
well  informed  as  to  the  true  situation,  remarks  regarding 
the  sanity  of  the  Empress.  Tongues  kept  wagging  in 
the  most  lively  way.  She  was  said  to  be  erratic,  un- 
balanced, morbid,  and  the  world  pitied  the  so-often- 
forsaken  Emperor. 

As  soon  as  her  official  duties  were  discharged, 
Elizabeth,  not  heeding  these  slanders  at  all,  left  the 
country  again  and  again,  to  try  to  regain  what  peace 
and  equanimity  she  could  muster  under  foreign  skies. 
She  was  heard  of  as  staying  at  Biarritz,  San  Kemo, 
Algiers,  in  Egypt,  Greece,  or  Syria.  She  loved  the 
Mediterranean,  and  once  a  year  at  least  returned  to  its 
shores.  It  was  then  that  she  first  became  enamoured 
of  lovely  Corfu. 

Nearly  seven  years  elapsed  before  this  detestable 
modus  vivencli  came  to  an  end.  A  great  political  event — 
namely,  the  reunion  of  two  crowns  and  of  two  countries 
under  the  sceptre  of  the  Emperor — made  it  imperative 
that  the  august  couple  should  once  more  appear  hand 
in  hand  before  their  subjects.  Moreover,  the  health 
of  the  Crown-prince  was  causing  much  anxiety  to  his 
entourage.  Perchance  the  child  missed  the  love  and 
care  of  his  "silly  young  mother,"  so  ill-replaced  by  a 
grandmother  who,  in  her  own  estimation  at  least, 
possessed  all  the  cardinal  virtues  and  several  more 
besides,  but  to  whom  a  just  Providence  had  refused  the 
ownership  of  a  truly  womanly  heart.  One  cannot  have 
everything !  Anyhow,  the  heir  apparent's  extreme 
delicacy    inspired    the    far-seeing   with   a  very   natural 

60 


THE    MARTYRDOM    OF   AN    EMPRESS 

doubt  as  to  what  might  be  the  fate  of  the  dynasty  if 
the  slender  thread  which  bound  him  to  existence  should 
snap  asunder,  and  his  Majesty  was  assailed  on  all 
sides  by  his  most  esteemed  councillors  with  entreaties 
for  a  rapprochement  between  himself  and  the  Empress. 

She  herself  was  approached  about  the  matter  by 
wise  and  clever  people,  who  forbore  to  mention  to  her 
how  greatly  her  own  interests  were  at  stake.  This 
would  have  produced  a  disastrous  impression  upon  her. 
They  argued,  instead  of  this,  that  her  children  needed 
her,  that  her  continued  absence  from  the  court  was 
injuring  them  morally  and  physically;  reasons  of  state 
were  also  brought  forward,  and  her  husband's  deep  regret 
and  sorrow  much  magnified — although  of  a  truth  they 
did  exist — until  that  infinite  yearning  for  affection  which 
is  wholly  outside  the  instincts  of  the  passions  began  to 
thrill  in  her  heart  anew.  She  was  brought  gently  and 
securely  to  the  point  where  doubts  about  her  own  read- 
ing of  duty  as  it  should  be  entered  her  soul.  She  asked 
herself,  with  agonized  tears,  whether  in  the  violent  scorn 
of  her  revolted  pride  she  had  not  lost  sight  of  the  only 
fashion  in  which  duty  should  be  understood.  For  years 
she  had  gone  upon  her  joyless  path  not  caring  much 
whether  she  was  displaying  too  much  vindictiveness,  or 
whether,  in  cleaving  so  closely  to  the  traditions  of  what 
she  deemed  honour,  she  had  not  forgotten  the  obligations 
of  mercy  and  of  forgiveness. 

As  I  have  stated  before,  she  was  a  very  religious 
woman,  not  in  the  outward,  noisy  manner  of  a  hijote, 
but  sincerely  devoted  to  the  Catholic  faith,  and  she  now 
allowed  the  first  of  Christian  virtues — charity  towards 
those  who  have  hurt  us  most — to  guide  her  towards 
pardon. 

The  love  she  had  once  felt  for  her  husband  stirred  at 

61 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

those  times  beneath  all  her  wrath,  and  echoed  back  in 
her  heart.  The  outcome  of  all  this  was  that  she  suffered 
herself  to  be  induced  to  return  and  to  take  up  her  duties 
again.  Many  were  the  tears  which  she  shed  kneeling 
before  her  crucifix,  in  an  anguish  of  doubt  as  to  what 
she  had  best  decide,  before  she  came  to  that  conclusion. 
But  finally  her  surrender  was  complete ;  she  realized 
that  she  could  not  for  ever  arrogate  to  herself  the  right 
of  judgment  against  her  lord,  and  a  great  peace  fell 
over  her  like  a  mantle. 

The  meeting  between  them  had  no  witness  save  the 
Emperor's  favourite  brother.  It  was  a  sad  and  mournful 
moment.  The  Emperor  looked  older,  paler,  more  weary 
than  he  had  done  when  she  had  last  seen  him.  She, 
with  a  beating  heart  and  an  ashen  face,  stood  silently 
looking  at  him,  without  making  a  gesture  or  giving  a 
sign  of  the  nervous  strain  which  she  felt.  He  crossed 
the  room,  dropped  on  one  knee,  and  bowing  his  hand- 
some head  over  her  hand,  kissed  it  as  deferentially  as 
if  he  Avere  the  meanest  of  her  subjects.  His  lips  were 
as  cold  and  trembling  as  the  slender  fingers  he  held. 

"  Que  Dieu  vous  garde "  (May  God  keep  you),  he 
murmured. 

She  fixed  her  eyes  upon  him  where  he  knelt,  and 
then,  with  a  gesture  infinitely  forgiving  in  its  almost 
motherly  tenderness,  she  passed  her  disengaged  hand  over 
his  hair. 

"We  have  both  much  to  forgive,"  she  said,  softly. 


62 


CHAPTER   IV 

The  ceremonies  attending  their  coronation  as  King 
and  Queen  of  Hungary  were  welcome  circumstances 
in  the  official  reconciliation  of  the  two  sovereigns,  and 
greatly  facilitated  Elizabeth's  resumption  of  her  life  at 
court.  These  magnificent  ceremonies  are  still  present 
to  the  memory  of  all  those  who  witnessed  them,  and 
aroused  the  genuine  enthusiasm  of  the  young  sovereign 
so  vividly  that  never  could  she  speak  of  them  without 
emotion. 

The  town  was  crowded  w  ith  Magyars  from  the  Bakos 
Plain,  Suabians  from  the  mountains  west  of  the  town, 
Slowaks  from  Northern  Hungary,  Servians  and  Croatians 
from  the  southern  districts,  and  even  long-haired  Saxons 
from  Transylvania,  and  with  different  corporations, 
unions,  and  guilds  carrying  banners.  The  honoured 
veterans  of  the  war  of  1848  to  1853  in  their  old 
uniforms,  numbering  in  all  sixty  thousand  persons, 
lined  the  streets  from  the  Western  Railway  Station  to 
the  royal  castle,  a  distance  of  six  kilometres. 

The  royal  castle  of  Buda  is  a  marvel  of  antique  archi- 
tecture. It  was  built  in  1769,  and  ever  since  1771  the 
hand  of  St.  Stephen  has  been  preserved  as  a  sacred  relic 
within  its  ponderous  walls.  Every  year,  on  the  20th  of 
August,  a  procession  leaves  the  citadel,  the  relic  being 
carried  from  there  to  the  Church  of  Our  Lady  of  the 
Assumption,  and  back  again,  to  the  sound  of  thrilling 
music,  and  under  a  veritable  hail  of  blossoms. 

G3 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

On  the  coronation-day,  all  those  who  had  been  invited 
by  the  government  or  the  municipal  authorities  occupied 
seats  on  the  official  grand-stands.  When  their  majesties 
issued  from  the  palace  on  their  way  to  the  cathedral 
deafening  "eljens"  were  raised,  and  were  kept  up 
almost  uninterruptedly.  The  Emperor  and  Empress 
rode  in  a  magnificent  state  carriage  drawn  by  eight 
white  horses.  At  the  moment  that  the  procession  began 
to  move,  a  salute  of  one  hundred  and  one  minute- 
guns  was  fired  from  the  citadel.  The  procession  was 
headed  by  mounted  police,  followed  by  the  carriage  of 
the  governor  of  the  city  and  by  that  of  the  chief  of 
police,  and  was  the  most  brilliant  pageant  imaginable. 

The  escort  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-two  aristocrats 
was  an  especially  magnificent  sight.  Twelve  pairs  of 
cavaliers,  whose  horses  were  led  by  armour-bearers  in 
Magyar  dresses,  were  followed  by  eight  mounted  mag- 
nates, each  of  whom  carried  a  banner.  The  others  all 
came  in  pairs,  each  horse  being  led  by  one  or  two 
armour-bearers.  All  the  nobles  wore  the  splendid  dress 
of  the  Hungarian  magnate,  adorned  with  gold  embroidery 
and  precious  stones  from  the  kalpak — or  head-covering, 
which  is  surmounted  with  herons'  feathers — down  to 
the  high  boots.  The  reins,  gilt  stirrups,  and  the  shab- 
racks and  golden  scabbards  of  the  scimitars  were 
covered  with  diamonds  and  jewels,  many  of  them  being 
worth  a  fortune.  The  imperial  carriage  was  accom- 
panied by  the  adjutant-general  and  by  the  Hungarian 
minister. 

The  procession  was  followed  by  -six  carriages  con- 
taining court  officials,  and  by  several  hundreds  of  the 
carriages  belonging  to  members  of  the  episcopacy  and 
the  aristocracy.  Most  of  the  coaches  and  harnesses  were 
covered  with  gems  and  gold.     The  long  train  went  at 

64 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OP  AN  EMPRESS 

a  foot  pace  through  the  gloriously  decorated  streets, 
amid  the  cheers  of  several  hundred  thousands  of 
spectators.  The  English  know  how  to  cheer,  but  their 
"hurrahs"  are  not  to  be  compared  for  volume  of  sound 
with  the  thundering  shouts  heard  on  that  day.  Maidens 
dressed  in  white  showered  flowers  on  the  road  followed 
by  the  procession,  invoking  blessings  on  the  heads  of 
their  handsome  sovereign  and  his  lovely  consort. 

So  great  was  the  enthusiasm  aroused  by  the  appear- 
ance of  the  Empress-Queen,  that  it  is  scarcely  wonder- 
ful if  her  whole  heart  went  out  anew  to  a  people  who, 
by  the  warmth  of  their  reception,  the  many  tokens  of 
admiration  and  love  bestowed  upon  her,  presented  so 
vivid  a  contrast  to  the  manner  in  which  the  Teutonic 
portion  of  her  husband's  subjects  had  comported  them- 
selves towards  her  when  the  imperial  crown  had  been 
placed  upon  her  brow,  almost  thirteen  years  before. 
Her  predilection  for  Hungary  from  henceforth  became 
more  than  ever  marked.  She  learned  the  terribly 
difficult  Magyar  language  with  her  usual  facility,  de- 
voting herself  with  such  energy  to  this  task  that  she 
absolutely  amazed  her  instructors,  and  most  of  her 
time  was  spent  in  her  marvellous  Castle  of  Godollo, 
near  Buda-Pesth. 

During  the  years  which  I  had  the  joy  of  spending 
there  near  her,  we  wandered  untiringly  together  a-horse 
and  a-foot,  in  the  green,  moss-carpeted  forests  and  on 
the  boundless  Puszta.  Everything  interested  her,  and, 
like  her  husband's  celebrated  relative,  Archduke  Joseph, 
who  actually  wrote  a  Zingari  grammar  and  is  the 
greatest  authority  on  the  origin  and  habits  of  the 
Tzigane  people,  she  delighted  in  visiting  the  camps  of 
these  copper-hued,  glittering-eyed  beings,  who  have 
music   and  poetry  born   in  them,   and   who   are  to  be 

65  F 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

found  in  the  entire  purity  of  their  race  only  in  those 
still  semi-barbaric  regions. 

There  never  was,  I  truly  believe,  a  rider  worthy  of 
being  compared  to  Elizabeth.  Both  in  the  field  and 
in  the  riding-school  she  was  absolutely  matchless  with 
regard  to  seat,  grace,  and  ability,  and  although  her 
slender,  dainty  build  would  hardly  have  caused  one  to 
believe  it,  her  strength  was  very  great,  and  there  was 
no  horse  that  she  could  not  ride  when  once  she  had 
made  up  her  mind  to  do  so.  The  opinion  of  Franz 
Gebhardt  on  the  matter,  who  was  the  foremost  rider  of 
the  Spanish  school  at  Vienna,  is  worthy  of  being 
recorded. 

He  declared,  many  a  time,  that  she  outshone  any 
rider  of  her  own  sex,  for  she  had  a  knack  of  putting 
herself  into  immediate  and  almost  mesmeric  communi- 
cation with  her  horse,  and  of  making  it  show  off  to  the 
best  advantage,  never  in  any  way  hampering  it  by  the 
slightest  false  movement  on  her  part.  She  aroused  the 
delight  of  the  true  connoisseur  by  the  perfection  of  her 
steps,  courbettes,  changements  de  pied,  and  all  the  other 
delicate  and  intricate  secrets  of  the  difficult  art  of 
high-school  riding. 

Not  the  least  remarkable  feature  of  her  fondness  for 
horses  was  the  extraordinary,  almost  hypnotic,  influence 
which  she  possessed  over  them;  the  most  unmanage- 
able animals  would  let  themselves  be  approached  and 
petted  by  her.  She  used  to  throw  the  colonel  in 
command  of  the  Eeit  Lehren  Institut  at  Vienna  into 
absolute  convulsions  of  terror  by  occasionally  bearing 
down  upon  him  with  the  request  to  "  send  to  the  riding- 
school  a  couple  of  your  wildest  specimens  for  us  to 
have  a  little  fun  with  ! "  The  hapless  colonel  would  at 
first    try    to    evade    obedience,    but    the    Empress    was 

66 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

peremptory,  and  he  had  to  give  in,  though  his  bronzed 
face  would  turn  ghastly  pale  under  its  tan  as  he 
watched  the  slender,  graceful  figure  of  his  sovereign 
vault  into  the  saddle  and  perform  wonders  of  horse- 
womanship  on  horses  which  he  would  not  have  dared  to 
let  an  ordinary  cavalry  officer  ride. 

Her  friendship  with  Eliza,  the  celebrated  haute-ecole 
rider  at  Eenz's,  gave  rise  to  much  unkind  comment,  but 
the  truth  is  that  Eliza,  now  married  to  a  distinguished 
French  officer,  was  of  unimpeachable  repute,  and  that 
her  admirable  powers  as  a  rider  and  breaker-in  of  horses 
gave  her  the  best  of  introductions  into  the  favour  of  the 
Empress. 

Count  P ,  who  is  one  of  the  wealthiest  magnates 

in  Hungary,  and  who  breeds  horse-flesh  on  a  very 
extensive  scale,  owned  in  1878  a  magnificent  coal-black 
stallion  possessed  of  so  fiendish  a  temper  that  for  six 
months  his  grooms  had  been  unable  to  enter  his  box, 
and  were  forced  to  feed  him  from  pails  provided  with 
six-foot-long  handles.  The  Empress  heard  of  this,  and 
would  not  rest  until  we  had  driven  over  to  see  the 
Count,  or,  much  rather,  to  see  the  Count's  restive 
pensioner.  No  prayers  or  entreaties  could  prevail  when 
the  Empress  had  once  made  up  her  mind,  and  so,  nolens 
volens,  our  host  was  forced  to  conduct  us  to  the  farther 
corner  of  his  superb  stables,  where  "Black  Devil" — 
such  was  the  amiable  animal's  name — reigned  supreme. 

Without  a  minute's  hesitation,  and  disregarding  the 
exclamations  of  horror  from  the  on-lookers,  Elizabeth 
walked  deliberately  to  the  box,  and  chirruping  in  a 
peculiar  manner  to  its  occupant,  she  drew  back  the  bolt 
and  coolly  entered.  Those  present  held  their  breath, 
expecting  every  moment  to  see  the  dauntless  woman 
trampled    upon    and   torn    to   pieces.     No   such   thing, 

67 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

however,  happened.  At  first  the  startled  beast  snorted 
and  laid  back  its  ears,  but  soon  the  great  fiery  eyes 
softened  and  grew  tender,  and  the  Empress  was  suffered 
to  pat  the  dilated  nostrils  and  arched  neck. 

"  Come  here,"  she  called  out  to  me ;  "  he  is  as  gentle 
as  a  lamb,  poor  old  boy,  but  he  is  in  bad  need  of  a 
brushing  up ! " 

Where  she  had  gone  self-respect  forbade  me  to  refuse 
to  follow,  so  I  promptly  obeyed  her  command.  Between 
us  we  polished  up  "Black  Devil,"  and  ultimately  left 
him  whinnying  with  fond  gratitude,  a  vanquished 
tyrant!  So  astonished  was  the  Count,  and  so  relieved 
also  at  finding  that  no  accident  had  happened,  that  he 
craved  permission  to  present  the  dusky  beauty  to  her 
Majesty.  The  gift  was  accepted,  but  it  took  a  long 
time  before  the  four-footed  "Devil"  could  be  induced 
to  endure  the  presence  of  a  man  near  him,  and  we  had 
all  the  work  we  could  do  in  attending  personally  to  his 
demoniacal  needs.  However,  the  Empress  ended  by 
obtaining  such  good  mastery  over  him  that  he  used  to 
follow  her  about  like  a  dog  in  the  park  and  grounds  of 
Godollo. 

When  we  were  at  Godollo  we  were  in  the  saddle  as 
early  as  half-past  four  in  the  morning,  guiding  our 
horses  through  the  tall,  sweet-scented  grasses,  and 
jumping  over  hedges  and  ditches,  with  little  variation 
save  the  changing  of  our  mounts  until  the  eleven 
o'clock  dejeuner  a  la  fourchette. 

Franz  Gebhardt  rode  with  the  Empress  a  great 
deal,  not  only  in  the  riding-school,  but  also  in  the  plains 
surrounding  Godollo,  and  his  admiration  for  the  Empress's 
terrain  reiten,  as  field-riding  is  called  in  Austria,  was  as 
great  as  that  which  he  felt  for  her  performance  in  the 
riding-school.     The  kindness  which  his  imperial  patron 

68 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

showed  hiin  was  boundless.  She  caused  his  daughters 
to  be  brought  up  at  her  expense,  and  showered  gifts  of 
all  kinds  upon  himself  and  upon  his  family. 

A  very  amusing  incident  took  place  during  one 
of  my  sojourns  at  Godollo,  where  Franz  Gebhardt  was 
also  staying  at  the  time.  During  her  high-school 
exercises  in  her  private  manege,  the  Empress  was  in  the 
habit  of  having  the  necessary  musical  accompaniment 
to  the  horse's  paces  played  to  her  on  a  piano,  which 
stood  in  the  gallery,  by  one  of  her  maids-of-honour,  a 
pretty  little  countess,  who,  however,  played  abominably, 
and,  for  the  most  part,  completely  out  of  time.  One 
morning  Herr  Gebhardt,  who  was  wandering  about  the 
castle,  came  upon  a  magnificent  Bosendorfer  grand- 
piano  in  one  of  the  distant  rooms  of  the  left  wing. 
Being  passionately  fond  of  music,  and  especially  devoted 
to  Schumann,  he  sat  down  before  the  instrument,  and, 
believing  himself  to  be  entirely  alone,  began  to  play  the 
"  Traumerei "  in  the  most  masterly  fashion.  Suddenly 
the  door  was  softly  pushed  open,  and  the  dainty  little 
head  of  the  Empress  appeared. 

"  I  did  not  know  that  you  possessed  this  talent,  too. 
Surely  if  you  can  play  like  that  you  can  do  me  the  great 
pleasure  of  playing  a  few  polkas  for  me  in  the  riding- 
school  this  morning.  The  Countess  is  not  here,  and  she 
will  know  nothing  about  it,  for  you  must  understand," 
added  the  Empress,  very  earnestly,  "that  I  would  not 
have  her  feelings  hurt  for  the  world.  She  thinks  that 
she  is  doing  me  a  great  service  by  her  playing,  and  she 
does  not  realize  that  she  cannot  play  at  all." 

I  had  followed  the  Empress  into  the  room,  and  on 
hearing  this  I  could  not  restrain  myself  from  laughing 
outright.  Herr  Gebhardt,  in  spite  of  the  gravity  he  tried 
to  assume,  laughed  too,  and  the  three  of  us  finally  gave 

G'J 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

way  to  our  merriment  until  the  tears  fairly  ran  down  our 
cheeks.  Thus  was  it  that  once,  and  only  once,  during 
that  summer  did  the  Empress  indulge  in  a  little  good 
music  while  on  horseback ;  for,  of  course,  "  the  feelings 
of  the  little  Countess  were  on  no  account  to  be  hurt." 

Her  wanderings  over  the  Puszta  would  often  bring 
Elizabeth   within  sight   of  an   encampment   of   Csikos, 
and  she  never  failed  to  stop  her  horse  and  begin  to 
chat  with  these  children  of  the  Magyar  plains,  in  whom 
she  felt  a  peculiar  interest.     She  brought  them  welcome 
gifts  of  golden-hued    Turkish    tobacco,    and    examined 
their  troops  of  semi-wild  horses  with  the  schooled  eye 
of  a  perfect  equestrienne  and  of  an  earnest  admirer  of 
good  horse-flesh,  which  delighted  the  strange  herdsmen. 
Picturesquely   arrayed   in   a   long,    white,    linen,    wide- 
sleeved  smock,  or  shirt,  embroidered  in   vivid   colours, 
in    loose    white    zouave    pantaloons    tucked   into   high 
boots,  and  with  a  bunch  of  Puszta-grass  and  a  heron's 
feather    in    the    band    of    his    wide-brimmed    hat,  the 
Magyar  Csikos   presents   the   European   counterpart   of 
the  American   cow-boy,  the   South    American   Guacho, 
and  the   African   Bedaween.     His  life  is  spent  on  the 
vast   prairies   of  Hungary  in  tending   the  great  herds 
of  semi-wild  horses,  the  breeding  of  which  constitutes 
one  of  the  most  profitable  and  staple  features  of  Magyar 
industry.     His  life  is  by  no  means  devoid  of  privations 
and   hardship,   and   yet  he   would  not  exchange  it  for 
any  other  that  might  be  offered  to  him.     While  the 
summer  lasts  he  often  suffers  thirst — that  thirst  which  is 
one  of  the  terrors  of  prairie  and  desert  life.     His  food, 
which  he  carries  about  with  him  in  the  little  two-wheeled, 
canvas-covered   cart,  which  is  his  only  dwelling-place, 
frequently  gives  out,  and  sometimes  he  has  to  wait  for 
many  days  before  the  purveyor  of  the  Csikos  comes  on 

70 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

his  round  to  replenish  the  stock  of  all  the  scattered 
members  of  the  strange  brotherhood.  Notwithstanding 
these  drawbacks,  the  life  on  the  Piiszta  is  possessed  of 
a  freedom  and  charm  which  a  true  Magyar  cannot  resist. 
The  innate  and  romantic  poetry  of  the  immense  flat 
landscape,  green  as  an  emerald,  with  here  and  there  a 
clump  of  low  birch-trees  to  vary  its  monotony,  is  to 
the  Csikos  what  the  ever-rolling  waves  are  to  the 
sailor — indispensable  to  his  happiness.  The  Csikos  is 
courageous,  robust,  and  indifferent  both  to  extreme 
cold  and  overpowering  heat.  As  a  rule,  he  is  of  middle 
height,  with  well-cut  features,  a  dark  skin,  bright  and 
intelligent  black  eyes,  and  the  long,  pointed  moustache, 
known  throughout  Europe  as  la  moustache  hoiujroise.  He 
wields  the  lasso  with  just  as  much  mastery  as  does  the 
Guacho,  and  to  my  mind  surpasses  both  the  latter  and 
the  Western  cow-boy  in  horsemanship.  A  perfect  rider, 
he  breaks  in  the  colts  belonging  to  his  herd  without 
the  assistance  of  either  curb,  saddle,  rein,  bit,  or  whip. 
Simply  slinging  a  rope  halter  over  the  young  animal's 
head,  he  conquers  it  by  the  iron  pressure  of  his  muscular 
legs  and  the  magical  skill  with  which  he  poises  his  body 
on  the  back  of  his  fretting,  curveting  steed. 

Hard  indeed  is  the  destiny  of  the  Hungarian  Csikos, 
but  fascinating  also  in  the  extreme.  A  little  bread,  a 
little  salt  pork,  a  flask  of  wine,  a  bag  of  tobacco,  and, 
to  shield  him  from  the  cold  winds  of  the  spring  and 
late  autumn,  a  huge  pelisse  made  of  sheepskin,  the 
wool  being  worn  inside,  and  the  outer  leather  richly 
embroidered  in  red,  gold,  yellow,  and  blue — these  suffice 
for  his  comfort  and  happiness.  I  should  not,  however, 
omit  from  this  equipage  of  his  the  piece  of  matting 
with  which  he  shelters  his  fire  on  windy  nights,  and 
his  can  of  paprika,  or  red  pepper,  with  which  he  flavours 

71 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

the  national  dish  of  "giilyas,"  an  absolute  necessity  to 
every  true-born  Magyar. 

It  can  easily  be  imagined  what  a  delightful  change 
from  the  monotony  of  their  everyday  life  it  was  for  the 
Csikos  to  see  us  galloping  up  towards  them,  bringing 
them,  so  to  speak,  a  breath  of  worldly  air  and  of  novelty, 
as  well  as  many  a  little  offering  which  pleased  and 
flattered  them  immensely. 

After  her  definite  return  to  Austria,  Elizabeth,  with 
the  buoyancy  of  youth,  commenced  to  plan  out  for 
herself  a  course  of  existence  which  she  decided  in  her 
mind  would  make  up  for  all  the  dreariness  of  the  past 
years.  She  looked  forward  to  regaining  completely  the 
lost  mastery  of  her  husband's  heart  and  her  place  in 
her  children's  lives. 

A  cruel  fate  was,  however,  creeping  upon  the  track  of 
the  ill-fated  imperial  couple.  For  hardly  had  they  had 
time  to  enjoy  the  first  days  of  this,  their  second  honey- 
moon, when  the  terrible  news  of  the  assassination  of 
the  Emperor's  beloved  brother,  Emperor  Maximilian  of 
Mexico,  reached  them.  Far  away  beyond  the  seas  the 
unfortunate  Prince  had  met  with  a  foul  death  at  the 
hands  of  the  people  whose  ruler  he  had  become  at  their 
own  urgent  solicitation.  For  them  he  had  abandoned 
a  most  happy  life,  led  partly  at  his  brother's  court  and 
partly  on  the  lovely  shores  of  the  Adriatic,  where  he 
owned  the  fairylike  Palace  of  Miramar,  which  he  had 
created,  and  of  which  he  was  very  justly  proud. 

This  castle  is  a  spot  which  appears  like  unto  the 
realization  of  the  wildest  dreams  of  an  Oriental  imagina- 
tion. Perched  on  the  extreme  edge  of  a  rocky  promon- 
tory, and  built  entirely  of  the  purest,  most  spotless 
marble,  the  snow-white  building,  with  its  background  of 
emerald-green  hills  and  woods,  is  beyond  any  adequate 

72 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

description.  From  the  main  terrace  one  looks  straight 
down  upon  the  gently  rippling  water  sixty  feet  below, 
and  so  pure  and  transparent  is  it  that  the  eye  is  able  to 
penetrate  its  full  depth  of  over  twenty  fathoms,  and  to 
clearly  distinguish  the  ribbon-like  algcc,  and  the  pearly, 
many-hued  medusa;  which  sway  to  and  fro  beneath  the 
glassy  surface.  When  I  visited  Miramar  with  the 
Empress,  I  was  much  struck  by  the  extreme  transparency 
of  the  sea,  and  she — who  was  passionately  fond  of  study, 
and  had  an  extraordinary  fund  of  knowledge — explained 
to  me  that  there  are  some  oceans  where  under  seventy- 
five  fathoms  of  water  one  can  plainly  distinguish  the 
pebbles  and  shells  on  the  sandy  bottom. 

We  walked  often  on  the  narrow  edge  of  beach  below 
the  rocky  cliffs,  which  continue  in  a  seldom-interrupted 
line  to  the  right  of  the  castle  grounds,  interesting  our- 
selves in  the  maritime  plants  and  polypi  which  abound 
there  in  the  shallow  pools  of  water.  We  sometimes 
found  clusters  of  pure  tuft-coral,  sea  anemones  which 
looked  like  a  perfect  kaleidoscope  of  palest  green,  soft 
yellow,  vivid  lilac,  tender  blue,  and  deep  crimson;  star- 
fishes, angel-wings,  and  prickly  fungi,  which  we  collected 
for  our  little  museums.  The  medusce,  whose  opal  rose- 
bordered  umbrellas,  escalloped  with  a  band  of  blue,  were 
thrown  by  the  gentle  cerulean  waves  at  our  feet,  Eliza- 
beth would  invariably  push  back  into  the  water,  saying, 
in  her  low,  melodious  voice : 

"  It  is  too  bad  to  let  them  be  scorched  and  sucked  up 
by  the  sun-rays  ;  they  suffer  just  like  any  other  animated 
being  created  by  God's  hand." 

Her  continual  dread  of  hurting  somebody  or  some- 
thing Avas  very  characteristic  of  her,  and  she  would  step 
out  of  the  path  she  followed  to  avoid  crushing  a  beetle 
or  an  ugly  caterpillar  crawling  on  the  ground. 

73 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

It  would  take  a  much  cleverer  pen  than  mine  to 
portray  the  wellnigh  fantastic  architecture  of  the  Palace 
of  Miramar;  for  minarets  fretted  and  carved  like  lace, 
pointed  turrets,  terraced  roofs,  adorned  by  groups  of 
exquisite  winged  statues,  mediaeval  battlements,  and 
drawbridges  which  savour  of  the  fifteenth  century,  are 
mingled  together  in  a  picturesque  and  magnificent,  if 
somewhat  bewildering,  confusion.  The  gardens  and 
extensive  grounds  are  another  marvel  which  it  is  difficult 
to  describe,  so  great  is  their  beauty.  The  vegetation  is 
a  mixture  of  the  European  and  the  tropical,  each  plant, 
tree,  or  shrub  having  been  carefully  selected  from  the 
finest  of  its  kind.  Firs  and  Siberian  arolla  grow  side 
by  side  with  luxuriant  bamboos  and  giant-leaved  banana 
plants.  French  poplars  and  silvery  olive-trees  tower 
above  great  clusters  of  palmettos  and  cacti,  while  tall 
date-palms  and  dark-foliaged  magnolias  shelter  with 
their  deep,  refreshing  shadows  strange  mosses  and 
creepers  and  web-like  ferns  brought  from  the  far  north. 
In  every  direction  fountains  very  nearly  as  superb  as 
those  of  Versailles  cool  the  atmosphere  with  their 
prismatic  spray,  while  even  on  the  hottest  day  a  cool 
promenade  is  to  be  found  under  the  superb  avenue  of 
sycamores,  which  entirely  shut  out  every  ray  of  sunlight. 
This  avenue  leads  to  glass  houses  where  orchids,  born  in 
the  most  equatorial  regions  of  the  world,  bloom  all  the 
year  round  in  luxuriant  splendour.  The  interior  of  the 
castle  is  fully  worthy  of  its  matchless  exterior,  and 
contains  many  treasures  of  art  in  its  high-ceiled  state 
apartments  and  long  galleries.  The  study,  once  Maxi- 
milian's favourite  room,  is  an  exact  reproduction  of  the 
cabin  on  board  his  beautiful  yacht,  The  Miramar,  upon 
which  the  handsome  young  Prince  undertook  his 
disastrous  voyage  to  his  future  empire. 

74 


THE    MARTYRDOM    OF   AN    EMPRESS 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  Maximilian's  consort,  a 
haughty,  ambitious,  narrow-minded  Belgian  princess, 
should  have  been,  during  the  years  which  preceded  her 
own  coronation  as  Empress  of  Mexico,  the  greatest  ally 
of  "  Madame  Mere  "  in  the  latter 's  persecution  of  Eliza- 
beth. Indeed,  it  was  the  jealousy  with  which  she  was 
filled  on  account  of  her  beautiful  sister-in-law's  superior 
rank  that  led  her  to  urge  her  kind  and  somewhat  weak 
husband  to  accept  a  sceptre  which  was  bound  to  bring 
to  him  and  his  both  disappointment  and  misfortune. 

After  the  tragedy  of  Queretaro,  Elizabeth's  attitude 
of  unselfish  devotion  towards  her  grief-stricken  husband 
deeply  touched  all  who  witnessed  it.    It  seemed  then 
as  if,  with  the  exaggeration  of  self-censure  peculiar  to 
all  generous  natures,  she  strove  to  atone  for  any  pain 
which  she  might  have  given  him — although  it  was  so 
justly    given — by    her    long    estrangement    from    him. 
She  stood  by  his  side  nobly,  and  he  found  great  con- 
solation  in  looking  for  support  and  for  comfort  upon 
his  young   wife's   firm   and   reliant   nature.     Her  long 
wanderings  in   comparative   solitude   had    matured   her 
mind  and  brought  out  many  qualities  which,  had  things 
been  otherwise,  might  have  lain  much  longer  dormant. 
Afraid  of  nothing,  never  watching  for  the   impression 
which    she     produced,    and    absolutely    indifferent    to 
what   both   men   and   women   thought   of  her,  she  was 
far  above  the  starched   and   haughty   social  system  in 
which,  nevertheless,  her  whole  life  seemed  doomed  to 
be    henceforth    plunged.     A   ministering  angel    to    all 
those  who  suffered,  she  resumed  her  position  at  court 
with  a  dignity  of  attitude,  a  kindness  of  heart,  and  a 
loftiness  of  purpose  which  simply  amazed  and  silenced, 
for  the   time   being  at  least,  her  worst  detractors  and 
her  most  bitter  enemies. 

r-- 
40 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

In  the  following  spring  another  little  girl  was  born  to 
the  imperial  couple,  and  from  tenderest  babyhood  her 
training  and  education  were  the  Empress's  chief  care. 
She  was  never  tired  of  repeating  to  the  governesses  and 
tutors  of  her  two  elder  children  that  she  wished  them 
to  remain  as  much  as  possible  unspoiled  by  the  world ! 
She  endeavoured  to  teach  them  her  own  love  of  the  open 
air,  of  the  great  mountain  solitudes,  and  of  the  influence 
and  ways  of  nature. 

The  Crown-prince  was  a  most  interesting  child,  head- 
strong, generous,  plucky,  and  at  the  same  time  extra- 
ordinarily tender-hearted.  At  ten  years  old  his  resolute 
air  and  charming  manner  made  him  a  universal  pet, 
but  under  the  influence  of  his  paternal  gradmother  he 
had  acquired  a  waywardness,  touched  with  some  pride 
and  some  vanity,  which  pained  his  mother  whenever 
she  noticed  it.  From  the  moment  of  her  return  she 
strove  and  succeeded,  too,  at  last,  in  preventing  the  evil 
effects  of  the  adulation  with  which  his  entire  entourage 
was  eager  to  wait  on  the  slightest  whim  of  this  little 
heir  to  a  mighty  throne.  Fortunately  he  had  many 
compensating  qualities — he  was  very  affectionate  and 
sensitive,  and  easily  moved  to  self-reproach.  Well  trained 
to  all  bodily  exercises,  he  fell  rapidly  into  the  habit  of 
accompanying  his  mother  when  she  rode  out  on  one  of 
her  many  mettlesome  horses,  and  she  never  pleased  him 
better  than  when  she  called  him  her  little  comrade  ! 

Instinctively  the  boy  felt  that  his  mother's  immovable 
calm  and  extreme  gentleness  covered  some  great  and 
mysterious  suffering.  He  had  been  so  long  kept  away 
from  her  that  at  first  he  felt  a  sort  of  shy  reticence  in 
her  presence;  but  this  soon  wore  off,  and  a  feeling  of 
absolute  adoration  for  her  crept  gradually  into  his 
heart. 

76 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

The  motherhood  in  Elizabeth  welled  up  with  extra- 
ordinary force  ;  all  her  memories  of  past  pain  and  sorrow 
melted  into  an  infinite  tenderness  for  her  darlings,  and 
their  presence  healed  up  most  of  the  wounds  that  had 
been  dealt  to  her.  On  the  summer  following  baby 
Valerie's  birth,  the  Empress  spent  several  months  in 
her  dear  Upper  Austrian  mountains  with  the  Crown- 
prince  and  his  two  sisters. 

Many  are  the  delightful  little  scenes  of  her  children's 
early  years  which  the  Empress  recorded  in  what  she 
used  to  call  her  "  day-book,"  and  which  consisted  in 
reality  of  a  series  of  volumes  wonderfully  written  in 
different  languages,  and  interspersed  with  pen-and-ink 
and  wTater-colour  sketches,  exquisitely  done,  to  illustrate 
the  various  periods  which  she  described. 

Of  what  value  must  that  book  now  be  to  those  whom 
she  left  behind,  provided  she  did  not  put  into  execution 
the  threat,  which  she  once  made  in  my  presence,  of 
destroying  this  treasure  of  souvenirs  which,  so  she  argued, 
contained  too  many  painful  reminders  of  sorrowful  days 
that  had  fled  !  It  is  largely  because  I  had  the  privilege 
of  reading  and  admiring  portions  of  this  book  that  I 
am  able  to  reconstruct  so  many  incidents  of  Elizabeth's 
life. 


77 


CHAPTER  V 

On  a  fresh  cool  morning  the  Empress  was  in  her 
favourite  room  at  the  Kaiser  villa  at  Ischl,  a  long,  low 
apartment,  with  deep  embrasures  which  she  had  filled 
with  ferns  and  flowers.  The  furniture  was  of  carved 
Indian  work,  and  the  walls  were  hung  with  old  Gobelins, 
representing  the  siege  of  Troy,  while  sketches,  books, 
and  large  stands  filled  with  tall  groups  of  flowering 
reeds,  pampas-grass,  and  pink  foxgloves  gave  this  charm- 
ing retreat  a  cosy  and  attractive  aspect.  The  imperial 
lady  had  been  giving  the  last  touches  to  a  small 
statuette  representing  a  Greek  shepherd-boy  and  his  dog, 
which  she  had  been  modelling  to  while  away  the  time. 

At  last,  dropping  her  roughing  chisel,  she  sank  upon 
the  low  couch  near  the  open  window.  The  breeze 
came  in  through  a  screen  of  blue  passion-flowers,  stir- 
ring the  folds  of  her  white  cashmere  gown  and  lifting 
the  soft  waves  of  her  hair  from  her  forehead.  She  sat 
quite  still,  one  shapely  hand  resting  on  the  head  of  a 
huge  St.  Bernard  dog,  which  was  gravely  sitting  by  her 
side  and  looking  lovingly  at  her  with  his  honest  brown 
eyes. 

Suddenly  the  door  was  gently  pushed  open,  and  Eudi 
and  Gisela  came  into  the  room  carrying  a  large  basket 
of  woven  rushes  between  them,  filled  with  forget-me- 
nots  and  myrtle.     They  came  up  to  her,  exclaiming : 

"  This  is  for  you,  mamma ;  we  gathered  them  in  our 
own  garden." 

78 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

With  a  smile  of  pleasure  she  took  the  children  on  her 
lap  and  kissed  them  tenderly.  Gisela  sat  contentedly 
on  the  Empress's  knee,  nestling  her  golden  head 
against  her  mother's  breast ;  but  Kudi,  already  a  big 
boy,  jumped  down  and  began  to  trot  about  the  room, 
looking  at  all  the  pretty  knick-knacks  which  littered  the 
tables  and  cabinets. 

"Mamma,"  said  he,  suddenly,  "why  does  everybody 
like  me  better  than  they  do  Gisela  ?  " 

"  Why  do  you  think  so,  darling  ?  I  don't  think  it  is 
the  case  at  all." 

"  Oh,  but  indeed  it  is  ;  probably  I  am  better  company 
than  Gisela." 

"  What  a  conceited  little  man  you  are  getting  to  be, 
Rudi ! "  exclaimed  the  Empress,  trying  to  conceal  her 
amusement ;  "  you  are  a  great  deal  too  sure  of  your  own 
superiority  and  perfection.  God  does  not  like  conceited 
children ! " 

The  boy  looked  up  at  his  mother  and  smiled.  "  Oh," 
said  he,  quietly,  "I  am  not  afraid  that  God  should  not 
love  me,  because  I  love  God  and  I  do  not  see  Him,  so 
God  who  sees  me  is  sure  to  love  me." 

Astonished  at  this  extraordinary  remark,  the  Empress 
said,  gently : 

"  It  is  when  God  sees  how  naughty  you  are  sometimes 
that  He  does  not  love  you,  dear ! " 

"  God  made  me,  did  He  not,  mamma  ?  So  He  ought 
to  be  pleased  with  me,"  replied  the  little  fellow,  quite 
undisturbed.  "But,  mamma,  why  did  God  make  ugly 
people  like  Countess  X ,  instead  of  making  every- 
body beautiful  like  you  ?  " 

The  Countess  in  question  was  one  of  her  Majesty's 
ladies-in-waiting,  and,  thanks  to  her  brusque,  authorita- 
tive ways  and  ill-favoured  features,  was  the  children's 

79 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

bete  noir.     The  Empress  could  hardly  repress  her  merri- 
ment. 

"  You  are  too  young  to  talk  of  such  things,"  said  she. 
"Tell  me  what  you  want  me  to  do  this  morning  to 
amuse  you  both  till  papa  comes  in  to  luncheon?" 

"  Oh,  do  sing  us  something,  mamma !  "  exclaimed 
Kudi,  pleadingly. 

Elizabeth  walked  over  to  a  large  harmonium  which 
stood  near  the  open  window.  She  sat  down  before  it, 
and  after  striking  a  few  chords  which  echoed  through  the 
stillness  of  the  chamber,  she  sang  Schubert's  "  Serenade." 
She  was  a  great  musician,  having  a  dreamy,  mellow 
voice  with  an  immense  tenderness  of  interpretation. 

The  last  words  of  the  melody  thrilled  very  sweetly 
through  the  silence.  Elizabeth  looked  up.  Kudi  was 
leaning  against  the  instrument.  His  eyes  were  full  of 
tears  and  his  face  was  pale. 

"  I  am  sorry  that  I  spoke  as  I  did  just  now,"  said  he, 
tremulously.  "It  always  makes  me  good  to  hear  you 
sing,  mamma."  She  drew  him  towards  her  and  kissed 
him. 

"Do  you  want  me  to  sing  again?"  said  she. 

"Please  do,  mamma,"  said  he,  wistfully. 

After  a  moment's  pause  her  hands  wandered  lightly 
over  the  keys,  and  called  up  the  sweet,  plaintive 
"  Volkslieder "  she  had  heard  so  often  in  Austria  sung 
by  the  peasants,  and  to  which  she  had  listened  so  many 
times  when  drifting  slowly  in  her  boat  on  the  green 
waters  of  the  Gmlinden-See.  Suddenly  with  one  deep, 
plaintive  sigh  her  voice  ceased.  When  she  raised  her 
eyes  she  saw  that  the  Emperor  had  noiselessly  entered 
the  room  and  was  standing  before  her.  Their  eyes  met 
with  some  of  the  old  feeling  awakened  into  their  depths, 
and  Kiidi,  who  was  watching  them,  said,  suddenly : 

SO 


THE    MARTYRDOM    OF   AN    EMPRESS 
"Papa,  I  think  that  the  angels  must  have  faces  like 


mamma." 


Certainly  his  father  thought  so  too. 

On  another  occasion,  late  in  the  autumn,  the  Empress 
was  sitting  in  a  room  which  she  called  her  studio,  with 
her  three  children  about  her.  This  studio  was  of  oval 
shape,  hung  with  old  Flemish  tapestries  and  with  a 
collection  of  Meissen  china  figures  on  carved  brackets 
upon  the  walls.  On  the  open  hearth  great  logs  of 
crackling  wood  were  burning,  and  all  around  there  was, 
as  usual,  the  greatest  profusion  of  flowers.  An  old 
Dutch  clock,  which  stood  between  two  of  the  windows, 
was  half  covered  by  an  Australian  creeper,  the  waxy 
blossoms  of  which  peeped  out  through  clusters  of 
shining  green  leaves.  Opening  out  from  this  room  there 
was  a  conservatory,  filled  with  camellias,  gardenias, 
ferns,  and  orchids,  artistically  grouped  about  a  pink 
marble  fountain,  in  the  crystal  waters  of  which  silver 
and  gold  fishes  from  Madagascar  were  swimming, 
surrounded  by  masses  of  fragrant  tropical  flowers  in 
Satsuma  boxes. 

"  Mutzerl,"  as  baby  Valerie  was  called,  was  asleep  on 
her  mother's  lap,  and  Rudi  and  Gisela  were  dancing  up 
and  down  the  large  room,  which  was  lighted  only  by 
the  bright  rays  of  the  moon  and  by  the  fitful  gleams 
frorn  the  fire.  The  scene  had  something  fairylike  and 
unreal  about  it.  Gisela  in  her  short  lace  petticoats 
was  pirouetting  on  the  tips  of  her  tiny  feet,  bounding 
back  and  forth  so  lightly  and  gracefully  that  it  would 
have  seemed  in  keeping  with  this  elf-dance  to  see  the 
little  silhouette  suddenly  glide  up  the  broad,  slanting 
moonbeam  which  fell  from  the  lofty  window,  and  dis- 
appear in  the  dark-blue,  star-studded  sky.  Her  little 
slippers  hardly  made   more   noise   as   she  danced  than 

81  G 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

the  petals  of  a  rose  dropping  on  the  polished  floor. 
There  was  no  other  sound  throughout  the  dim,  shadowy- 
room.  The  Empress  held  her  breath  as  she  watched  the 
little  girl,  and  Eudi,  who  had  flung  himself  down  on  a 
bearskin  at  Elizabeth's  feet,  lay  quite  still.  Gisela  was 
then  an  uncommonly  graceful  child.  Her  long  curls, 
brilliant  eyes,  and  small  pink  mouth  made  her  look  like 
a  picture  by  Sir  Joshua  Eeynolds.  There  was  charm  in 
every  one  of  her  movements.  Suddenly  the  little  white 
shadow  alighted  on  the  edge  of  a  large  arm-chair,  and 
remained  poised  like  a  dragon-fly  on  a  willow-branch, 
nodding  her  curly  head,  and  pressing  her  pink  hands 
over  her  little  beating  heart. 

"  Brava,  darling ! "  exclaimed  Elizabeth.  "  You  are  a 
regular  little  ballerina.  Who  taught  you  to  dance  like 
that?" 

"  Nobody,  mamma,"  laughed  the  little  fairy,  and  bound- 
ing through  the  room  she  sprang  upon  the  ottoman  on 
which  her  mother  was  sitting,  and  bent  over  the  sleep- 
ing baby  with  a  look  of  adoring  admiration  upon  her 
small  features.  Marie-Valerie  was  an  extremely  pretty 
infant,  and,  according  to  Eudi's  statement,  looked  "just 
like  a  very  lovely  wax  doll  that  could  breathe,  laugh, 
and  cry,  too,  sometimes." 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  she  grew  up  to  be  her 
mamma's  pet,  and  indeed  these  two  were  not  often  apart. 
"Mutzerl"  had  inherited  her  mother's  love  for  flowers, 
and  as  soon  as  she  could  rely  upon  her  strong  little 
limbs  to  carry  her  wherever  she  listed,  she  started 
miniature  gardens  of  her  own  at  all  the  different 
palaces  where  the  court  stayed  in  turn. 

One  fine  summer  morning  "Mutzerl,"  now  five  years 
old,  coaxed  the  Empress  to  see  her  "private  grounds" 
at  Schloss  Godollo.     These  "private   grounds"  were  a 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

sunny  corner  where  she  was  allowed  to  dig  and  plant 
at  her  will,  and  where  trees  were  represented  often  by 
branches  pulled  from  the  neighbouring  bushes,  and 
stuck  jauntily  into  the  ground  by  the  imaginative  em- 
bryo gardener.  An  obliging  stable-boy  had  taken  upon 
himself  the  task  of  helping  "Mutzerl"  in  her  horticul- 
tural pursuits,  and,  thanks  to  him,  the  child  could  now 
boast  of  growing  some  real  flowers,  planted  in  an  orthodox 
fashion,  an  achievement  which  filled  her  with  delight  and 
pride.  She  had  set  her  heart  on  presenting  "mamma" 
with  a  bouquet  gathered  among  the  valuable  specimens 
of  geraniums,  gloxinias,  and  dogroses  which  had  outlived 
many  a  revolution,  and  it  was  for  this  purpose  that  she 
had  been  so  anxious  to  show  her  around  her  possessions. 
The  Empress  duly  admired  all  the  treasures  exultingly 
displayed  to  her  by  the  enraptured  little  girl,  but  at  last 
ventured  to  observe : 

"Don't  you  think,  darling,  that  this  garden  would 
be  still  prettier  if  kept  a  little  more  in  order  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that's  Yanos's  fault,"  promptly  answered  "  Mut- 
zerl ; "  "  he's  always  meddling  here  ! " 

Elizabeth  could  hardly  repress  a  smile,  for  Yanbs 
was  the  ill-fated  stable-boy  who  spent  his  leisure  hours 
in  repairing  the  damage  done  by  the  wee  Archduchess 
in  her  garden.  She  lovingly  watched  the  child  as  she 
pulled  several  rosebuds  from  a  bush,  at  the  cost  of  her 
own  tiny  fingers,  and  brought  them  triumphantly  to 
her.  "Mutzerl"  looked  up  from  under  her  broad-leafed 
hat  with  an  expression  so  absurdly  anxious  for  praise, 
that  she  bent  down  and  kissed  the  glowing  face  tenderly. 
"  Mutzerl "  held  her  fast  around  the  neck  for  a  moment, 
and  as  Elizabeth  released  her  she  said,  solemnly : 

"  You  are  a  very  good  mamma,  and  I  love  you  very 
much." 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

"  Why  do  you  love  me,  darling  ?  "  asked  the  Empress, 
fastening  the  flowers  in  her  bosom. 

"Because  you  are  so  pretty  and  nice,  and  because 
you  do  all  I  wish." 

"Do  I?" 

"  Yes,  and  I  want  very  much  to  ask  something  now." 

"  Well,  what  is  it  you  wish,  sweetheart  ?  " 

"  Oh,  mamma,  when  Christmas  comes  I  want  to  have 
a  lot  of  poor  little  children  come  to  a  Christmas-tree 
that  I  will  fix  all  by  myself." 

Much  touched  by  the  sweetness  of  the  idea,  the 
Empress  consented,  of  course,  and  "  Mutzerl "  laughed 
gleefully,  and  trotted  through  the  gardens  by  her  side 
perfectly  contented  and  happy. 

That  same  evening,  Elizabeth  was  alone  in  her 
dressing-room,  reclining  in  the  cosy  depths  of  a  large 
arm-chair.  Her  hair  was  hanging  in  a  loose  luxuriance 
on  her  shoulders,  and  she  was  wrapped  in  a  pale  lilac 
neglige  of  softest  Indian  texture,  with  a  profusion  of  old 
lace  at  her  throat  and  arms.  Her  dressing-room  was 
one  of  the  prettiest  nooks  imaginable,  with  its  silken 
hangings,  its  silver  swaying  lamps,  its  toilet  -  table 
shrouded  in  Valenciennes  laces,  and  its  cut-crystal  vases 
full  of  flowers.  She  sat  there  with  an  open  book  in  her 
lap,  the  soft  light  from  the  lamps  shining  on  her  fair 
skin,  on  her  sapphire-blue  eyes,  and  on  the  shimmering 
wealth  of  her  hair.  She  was  thinking  of  the  little 
darling  girl  asleep  in  the  room  next  to  her  own,  and  of 
the  pretty  instincts  which  already,  at  that  early  age, 
made  her  think  of  giving  pleasure  to  others.  A  proud 
smile  played  about  her  lips  as  she  lay  back  in  her  chair, 
her  head  resting  on  her  arm,  with  that  grace  which  was 
peculiarly  charming  because  it  was  so  natural  and  un- 
studied.    Suddenly  she  started  as  a  light  sound  reached 

84 


I 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

her  through  the  open  door  of  the  adjoining  room,  from 
which  a  faint  light  was  streaming.  She  arose  and 
stepped  into  "Mutzerl's"  sleeping-apartment.  The 
little  white  bed  of  mother-of-pearl  inlaid  Cairene  work 
looked  very  peaceful  under  the  rosy  glimmer  of  the 
shaded  night-lamp.  The  child  was  fast  asleep,  her  head 
thrown  back  on  the  pillow,  her  arms  above  her  head. 
Her  wavy  hair  had  been  pushed  away  from  her  fore- 
head in  her  slumber,  and  she  looked  even  more  strikingly 
lovely  than  when  awake.  She  had  been  dreaming,  and 
even  now  she  moved  uneasily  in  her  sleep,  ruffling  her 
curls  with  her  chubby  hand,  and  thrusting  the  coverings 
from  her.  The  Empress  bent  down  to  cover  her,  and  as 
she  did  so  she  heard  her  mutter : 

"  The  little  children  will  be  happy  at  my  Christmas- 
tree." 

For  a  moment  Elizabeth  stooped  over  the  unconscious 
child,  gazing  upon  the  rounded,  flushed  cheeks,  and  an 
ardent  prayer  went  up  from  her  heart. 

"  O  God,  spare  my  children  to  me,  and  let  their  lives 
be  pure  and  blessed !  " 

Her  face,  whenever  she  was  thus  praying  inwardly, 
was  enough  to  make  one  think  of  Montgomery's  ex- 
quisite verse: 

"Prayer  is  the  burden  of  a  sigh, 
The  falling  of  a  tear, 
The  upward  glancing  of  an  eye, 
When  none  but  God  is  near." 


8.3 


CHAPTER  VI 

Nowhere  was  Christmas  celebrated  with  so  much 
fervour  as  at  the  Austrian  court,  until  the  time  when 
the  relentless  hand  of  death  robbed  the  imperial  couple 
of  their  beloved  Kudi.  Before  that  supreme  sorrow 
had  overtaken  them  it  used  to  be  the  most  joyful  day  of 
the  year  for  the  Emperor  and  the  Empress.  Christmas 
Eve  was  a  double  feast,  as  it  also  was  Elizabeth's  birth- 
day. Then,  surrounded  only  by  those  she  loved,  the 
Empress's  coldness  and  silent  restraint  would  always 
vanish,  her  reserve  break  up,  and  she  would  become 
absolutely  transformed  by  what  touched  her  sympathies 
and  her  affections. 

From  the  day  of  the  little  scene  between  Valerie  and 
her  mother,  which  I  have  attempted  to  describe  in  the 
previous  chapter,  there  always  were  two  Christmas-trees, 
one  on  the  23rd  of  December,  which  the  little  Arch- 
duchess decorated  with  her  own  hands  for  a  hundred 
poor  children  selected  from  among  her  especial  proteges, 
and  one  on  the  24th  for  the  imperial  family.  The  great 
fir-trees,  glittering  with  gold  and  silver  nuts,  rosy- 
cheeked  apples,  and  with  myriads  of  little  lights  to 
illuminate  the  thousands  of  beautiful  toys,  were  indeed 
things  to  admire. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  23rd  the 
poor  children's  tree  was  lighted  up  in  the  Eittersaal,  a 
splendid  gallery-like  room,  with  a  lofty,  arched  ceiling, 
where  stained-glass  windows,  Flemish  tapestries  of  untold 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

value,  draperies  of  tawny  velvets,  and  great  escutcheons 
of  preciously  enamelled  metals  half-covered  the  finely 
carved  and  inlaid  wainscoting.  Every  frame  and  mirror, 
every  one  of  the  double  row  of  grim  damascened  sets 
of  armour  which  stand  on  each  side  of  the  long  "  'Saal," 
was  garlanded  with  mistletoe  and  holly.  Clusters 
of  Christmas-roses  and  banks  of  snow-drops  peeped 
forth  from  trailing  wreaths  of  ivy  gracefully  disposed 
in  every  available  corner.  In  the  gigantic  porphyry 
hearth  a  fire  of  aromatic  logs  burned,  adding  its  soft 
glow  to  the  dazzling  little  flames  of  the  candles  on  the 
Christmas-tree. 

When  the  court  lackeys,  in  their  state  liveries,  had 
opened  the  doors  and  drawn  back  the  heavy  portieres 
the  troop  of  enraptured  children  thus  admitted  to  de- 
lights worthy  of  Paradise  bowed  reverently,  but  without 
shyness — for  they  knew  that  they  Avere  loved  there, 
and  heartily  welcome,  too — and  then  ranged  themselves, 
the  boys  on  the  right  and  the  girls  on  the  left.  Arch- 
duchess Valerie  was  a  picture  to  see  as  she  advanced 
towards  them,  a  joyful  smile  on  her  young  lips,  and  her 
small  hands  filled  with  beribboned  parcels,  like  some 
good  little  fairy  about  to  distribute  her  lavish  gifts. 
Each  child  received  warm  clothes,  boots,  caps,  handker- 
chiefs, woollen  underwear,  fur-lined  gloves,  and  toys,  to 
say  nothing  of  "  goodies,"  as  "  Mutzerl "  called  bonbons 
of  all  kinds.  The  happy  youngsters  gave-  expression  to 
their  ecstasy  by  jumps  and  bounds,  and  shouts  of  merry 
laughter,  just  as  unrestrained  as  if  they  were  in  their 
own  homes,  instead  of  within  the  walls  of  the  imperial 
palace.  When  the  noise  had  somewhat  subsided,  the 
Archduchess  invariably  asked  as  her  reward  to  hear 
them  sing  the  "  Kaiser's  Hymn."  For  a  minute  all  was 
still,  then  the  grand  melody  would  roll  out  under  the 

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THE  MAETYEDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

high,  emblazoned  ceilings,  the  fresh  young  voices  going 
upward,  like  the  carol  of  a  hundred  larks,  intoxicated 
by  the  mere  joy  of  living.  When  these  glad  tones  had 
once  more  dropped  into  silence,  the  doors  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  Bittersaal  were  thrown  open,  revealing  a  large 
hall  where  a  substantial  feast  had  been  prepared. 

Oh !  how  all  those  youthful  eyes  would  widen  with 
surprise  at  the  sight  of  the  long  tables  loaded  with  huge 
sides  of  cold  roast-beef,  haunches  of  venison,  great  plump, 
truffled  turkeys,  and  enormous  piles  of  daintily  cut  sand- 
wiches. Wonderful  cakes  studded  with  candied  fruit, 
showers  of  bonbons  in  capacious  silver  shells,  pyramids 
of  grapes,  and  peaches,  pears,  oranges,  and  pineapples, 
completed  this  gargantuesque  tout  ensemble,  above  which 
floated  the  delicate  aromas  of  tea,  coffee,  bouillon,  and 
chocolate. 

Later  on,  when  the  overjoyed  children  had  been  dis- 
missed, their  little  stomachs  well  filled  and  their  tiny 
hands  burdened  with  presents,  Valerie  was  entrusted 
with  another  duty,  equally  delightful  to  her.  The 
Mayor  of  Vienna,  when  Christmas  was  spent  in  the 
Austrian  metropolis  instead  of  at  Godollo,  as  often  was 
the  case,  was  summoned  to  the  Hofburg,  and  received 
at  her  hands  a  small  portfolio  containing  the  Christmas 
offering  of  the  imperial  couple  to  the  city  hospitals,  ten 
thousand  florins,  and  an  order  for  hot-house  fruit,  cigars, 
illustrated  papers,  and  magazines,  as  well  as  quantities 
of  flowers. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  immediately  before  the 
family  dinner,  after  which  the  second  Christmas-tree 
was  to  be  lighted,  a  touching  little  ceremony  always 
took  place  in  the  Empress's  private  salon.  There  her 
children  and  the  Emperor,  with  a  very  transparent  but 
none  the  less  extreme  assumption  of  secrecy,  laid  out 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

a  multitude  of  birthday  souvenirs  amid  a  mass  of  flower- 
ing plants.  Then  all  the  candelabra  were  lighted,  and 
Elizabeth  was  solemnly  led  in  by  Valerie  to  receive  the 
congratulations  and  embraces  of  those  she  loved  best 
on  earth.  The  smiles  upon  her  sweet  face,  and  the 
suspicion  of  a  tear  in  her  glorious  eyes,  were  the  best 
thanks  that  she  could  ever  have  offered,  for  they 
brought  to  their  very  highest  point  both  the  radiance 
of  her  beauty  and  the  charm  of  her  personality — 

"  A  perfect  woman,  nobly  planned, 
To  warn,  to  comfort,  and  command, 
And  yet  a  spirit  still  and  bright, 
With  something  of  an  angel  light " — 

and  Christmas  was  one  of  the  occasions  selected  by  the 
Empress  to  instil  in  her  children's  hearts  the  continual 
thought  of  other  people's  comfort  and  pleasure,  which 
was  one  of  her  own  most  striking  characteristics. 

One  of  the  finest  traits  of  the  Empress  was  certainly 
her  untiring  charity,  and  her  methods  were  always 
notable  for  the  extreme  delicacy  of  feeling  which  she 
showed  in  all  things.  It  was  she  who  caused  the 
Viennese  to  realize  the  very  decided  difference  which 
exists  between  men  reduced  to  poverty  through  no  fault 
of  their  own,  and  men  whose  destitution  is  the  result  of 
lazy  or  extravagant  habits,  and  it  was  she  who  showed 
them  how  to  treat  the  former  as  fellow-citizens  who 
stand  in  need  of  help,  and  the  latter  as  criminals 
deserving  severe  reproof  if  not  punishment.  Through 
her  influence  numberless  families  are  now  redeemed 
from  misery,  many  youths  are  saved  from  sin,  many 
men  aided  to  begin  new  and  prosperous  lives. 

In  the  year  1872  an  association  of  400  ladies  and 
noblemen,  belonging  to  the  loftiest  ranks  of  society  and 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

presided  over  by  Elizabeth  herself,  was  formed  for  the 
purpose  of  supplying  wholesome  dinners  to  the  poor  at 
the  lowest  possible  price.  Each  member  gave  a  sum  of 
700  florins  towards  the  initial  outlay,  and  with  this 
money  the  first  volkskuchen  (people's  kitchen)  was  opened. 
To-day  there  are  fifteen  of  these  in  Vienna,  and  in  the 
course  of  the  year  food  is  sold  in  them  to  the  value  of 
more  than  1,200,000  florins. 

The  volkskuchen  are  large  rooms,  with  great  windows 
letting  in  both  sun  and  air,  and  provided  with  oak 
tables  and  benches,  which  are  kept  scrupulously  clean. 
The  floor  is  paved  with  marble,  and  at  the  lower  end 
of  the  hall  a  wooden  counter  serves  as  a  division  from 
the  actual  kitchen,  where  many  cooks  are  at  work 
preparing  food.  All  classes,  from  poor  university 
students  to  ragged-looking  tramps,  receive  a  kindly 
welcome. 

Every  day  over  ten  thousand  persons  dine  in  the 
volkskikhen,  and  the  marvellously  low  price  at  which  the 
food  is  sold  can  only  be  accounted  for  by  the  huge 
quantities  in  which  it  is  bought  and  prepared.  The 
complete  dinner,  excellently  cooked,  costs  two  groschen, 
and  a  breakfast  of  coffee,  bread-and-butter,  and  some 
kind  of  stew  can  be  obtained  in  the  early  morning  for 
one  groschen.  From  six  to  nine  in  the  evening  supper 
is  served  at  the  cost  of  one  groschen,  and  is  generally 
composed  of  soup,  cold  meat,  and  pudding.  The  ladies 
and  gentlemen  who  manage  this  superb  association 
have  done  wonders.  Eight  or  ten  ladies  belonging  to 
the  court  circle  make  a  point  of  being  in  each  kitchen 
while  the  dinners  are  being  served. 

It  is,  one  must  confess,  a  rather  touching  sight  to 
watch  the  lovely  and  aristocratic  court  beauties  of 
Vienna,    wearing    snowy    aprons    over    their    elegant 

90 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

walking-dresses,  as  they  distribute  the  food  to  the  poor, 
ill-fed  wretches  who  crowd  the  room.  A  kind  smile  or 
word  of  sympathy  always  accompanies  the  action.  It 
often  happens  that  one  of  these  charming  ministering 
angels  grows  deeply  interested  in  the  case  of  one  or 
another  of  her  guests,  and  thus  becomes  the  means  of 
doing  a  great  deal  of  practical  good. 

It  is  not  by  a  lavish  and  unreasonable  expenditure 
that  the  Viennese  secure  comfort  for  their  deserving 
poor,  but  by  infinite  attention  to  details,  endless  care, 
and  hearty  sympathy  with  suffering,  for  in  spite  of 
their  long-kept-up  animosity  against  the  Empress,  her 
influence  has  been  great  even  at  Vienna  in  all  matters 
pertaining  to  kindness  and  generosity ;  and  this  good 
which  she  has  worked  is  certainly  one  of  the  finest 
monuments  which  she  has  left  behind  her. 

She  was  kind  by  temperament  and  by  nature,  and 
loved  to  see  smiling,  happy  faces  around  her,  and  to 
give  beautiful  presents,  just  as  she  loved  to  do  good 
on  every  possible  occasion.  It  was  not  a  mere  sense  of 
duty  which  prompted  her,  for  all  she  did  was  performed 
cheerfully,  silently,  for  the  most  part  almost  as  if  she 
were  not  aware  of  what  she  was  accomplishing.  Soft, 
conciliatory  words,  small  and  great  services  rendered 
smilingly,  without  fuss  or  bustle,  were  habitual  to  her. 
She  went  on  her  way  feeling  that  her  task  was  never  at 
an  end,  thinking  of  the  morrow,  of  those  she  had  not 
yet  succoured,  of  the  many  hands  there  were  yet  to  fill, 
the  many  sorrows  still  to  console,  the  countless  miseries 
that,  in  spite  of  all  she  already  had  done,  remained  to 
be  relieved.  Here,  again,  I  am  compelled  to  quote  some 
lines  which  suit  her  and  describe  her  admirably : 

••  No  simple  duty  was  forgot, 
Life  had  no  dim  and  lonely  spot 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

That  did  not  in  her  sunshine  share; 

No   caprice  of  mind, 

No  passing  influence  of  idle  time, 

No  popular  show,  no  clamour  from  the  crowd, 

Could  move  her,  erring,  from  the  path  of  right," 

Marie- Valerie  remained  her  mother's  almost  constant 
companion,  even  after  she  attained  maidenhood,  and 
was  being  educated  by  the  highly  gifted  and  talented 
Bishop  Eonay,  who  had  previously  been  the  tutor  of  her 
ill-fated  brother.  From  her  tenderest  childhood  the  very 
atmosphere  in  which  she  moved  was  redolent  of  fidelity, 
of  courage,  and  of  dignity.  She  grew  up  to  be  extremely 
fascinating,  and  has  not  to  this  day  a  grain  of  self- 
consciousness  or  of  self-assertion.  Her  appearance  as 
a  girl  was  ethereal  and  delicate,  but  that  delicacy  of 
mould  sheathed  nerves  of  steel,  and  her  slender,  supple 
frame  could  stand  more  fatigue  than  that  of  many  a 
stronger-looking  woman.  She  swam  like  an  otter,  rode 
almost  as  well  as  her  mother,  fenced  and  shot  with 
great  skill,  and  was  a  sure-footed  mountaineer.  Her 
education  had  been  pushed  further  than  is  generally 
the  case  with  young  girls  of  her  position.  She  learned 
Latin  and  Greek,  together  with  seven  or  eight  living 
languages,  drew  and  painted  with  great  talent,  and  sang 
with  a  singular  richness  and  power. 

She  has  inherited  all  her  mother's  love  for  sport  and 
out-door  life,  and  delighted,  when  at  Ischl,  in  taking 
long  and  tiring  walks,  for  she  was  never  so  happy  as 
when  among  the  mountains.  Late  in  the  autumn  she 
used  often  to  don  a  fur-lined  riding-habit,  and,  mounting 
a  pony  well  used  to  the  hills,  she  would  wander  on 
the  frozen  paths  leading  to  the  snow-covered  peaks 
above.  She  knew  every  step  of  the  way  up  to  the 
spurs  of  the  mountains,  and  would  ride  till  the  ascent 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

grew  too  steep  for  her  horse ;  then,  leaving  the  latter 
with  her  attendant  Yaegers,  she  would  seize  her  alpen- 
stock and  go  on  her  way  over  the  gigantic  bowlders, 
breathing  with  delight  the  icy  blast  from  the  lofty 
summits.  Of  course  there  was  danger  in  such  expedi- 
tions, but  the  young  Archduchess  knew  what  she  was 
about,  and  kept  to  the  right  path  regardless  of  the 
fierce  winds  tearing  at  her  clothes  and  of  the  proximity 
of  the  yawning  abysses  beneath  her. 

The  marriage  of  Archduchess  Valerie  to  her  cousin, 
Archduke  Francis-Salvator,  was  of  unusual  interest  not 
only  in  her  father's  dominions  but  also  abroad,  by  reason 
of  the  fact  that  her  imperial  highness  had  since  her 
birth  been  the  favourite  child  of  her  parents,  the  living 
token  of  the  reconciliation  brought  about  between  them 
by  the  statesmen  of  the  dual  empire  on  the  eve  of  their 
coronation  as  King  and  Queen  of  Hungary.  Moreover, 
the  young  Archduchess,  concerning  whose  unaffected 
ways  and  kindly  heart  innumerable  anecdotes  were 
current  among  the  people,  had  always  been  a  kind  of 
second  self  to  her  mother,  and  her  loving  comforter 
and  consoler  at  the  time  of  Rudolf's  death. 

Much  anxiety  prevailed  among  her  Majesty's  entourage 

respecting   the   manner   in   which   she   would   bear  the 

separation    when    the    Archduchess    entered    upon    her 

married  life  at  Castle  Lichtenberg,  near  Wels,  a  garrison 

town  some  hours  from  Vienna,  where  the  regiment  to 

which    the    Archduke    belonged    was    stationed.      The 

Empress,  however,  as  she  always  did  in  the  important 

moments  of  her  life,  showed  her  sense  and  judgment  by 

conquering  the  distress  caused  by  this  separation,  and 

looked  to  the  frequent  visits  that  were  to  be  exchanged 

between    them  to   make   up   for   the   dreariness   caused 

by  the  absence  of  her  beloved  girl.      The  marriage  has 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

turned  out  exceedingly  well,  the  young  couple  being 
entirely  suited  to  one  another. 

Her  former  teachers  were  right  when  they  unani- 
mously spoke  in  the  warmest  praise  of  Valerie's  literary 
abilities,  for  she  has  given  evidence  thereof  by  the  pro- 
duction of  several  poems  and  admirable  essays  which 
have  been  published  and  enjoy  a  wide-spread  sale. 

That  the  Empress,  like  her  daughter,  was  a  remark- 
able writer  of  prose  is  not  so  very  generally  known  as 
that  she  wrote  exquisite  poetry.  Upon  a  shrine, 
dedicated  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  near  Ischl,  there  are 
inscribed  a  few  short  verses  bv  her,  so  beautiful  and  so 
touching  that  those  who  see  them  come  nearer  to 
reading  aright  the  soulful  nature  of  the  Kaiserin  than 
it  has  been  given  to  most  of  those  who  knew  her  to  do. 
It  is  untranslatable;  at  least,  I  humbly  confess  that  I 
would  be  unable  to  do  so  without  destroying  its  delicate 
charm  and  deep,  pious  feeling.  I  therefore  give  it  here 
in  the  original  German,  just  as  Elizabeth  of  Austria 
wrote  it: 

"  0  breite  deine  Arme  aus 
Maria,  die  wir  griissen; 
Leg,  schutzend,  sie  auf  dieses  Hans 
Im  Thai  zu  deinen  Ftissen. 
0  segne  dieses  kleine  Nest, 
Mag  rings  der  Sturm  auch  wtithen, 
In  deinem  Schutze  steht  es  fest, 
Voll  Gnaden  wirst  du's  hiiten." 

Once  Archduchess  Marie-Valerie  surprised  her  parents 
by  composing,  for  the  Empress's  birthday,  a  charming 
piece  which  she,  together  with  Archduchess  Sophia- 
Marguerite,  and  Prince  and  Princess  Auersperg,  enacted 
on  a  beautifully  decorated  stage  which  they  had  caused 
to   be   erected  in   one   of  the   state  apartments  of  the 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Hofburg.  At  the  end  of  the  representation  Archduchess 
Valerie  appeared  upon  the  scene,  alone,  wearing  the  con- 
ventional costume  given  to  the  figure  which  represents 
Austria,  with  a  crown  on  her  head  and  a  sceptre  in  her 
hand,  and  pronounced  the  epilogue,  consisting  of  some 
verses  also  composed  by  herself,  and  which  gave  expression 
to  her  love,  respect,  and  gratitude  towards  the  Empress. 

The  latter,  with  tears  of  pleasure  in  her  eyes,  em- 
braced her  child  fondly,  and  turning  to  Adolph  Sonnen- 
thal,  who  had  superintended  the  whole  mise  en  scene,  and 
who  had  been  the  teacher  in  dramatic  art  of  the  young 
Archduchess,  thanked  him  warmly,  saying : 

"I  have  to  thank  you  already  for  many  and  many  a 
delightful  evening  spent  in  listening  to  you  from  my 
box  at  the  Burgtheater,  but  to-day  I  must  express 
especial  gratitude  for  the  exquisite  hours  which  I  have 
just  enjoyed." 

This  little  festival  had  taken  place  quite  en  famille, 
nevertheless  Sonnenthal  was  invited  by  the  Empress  to 
remain  for  the  family  supper.  Elizabeth  had  a  great 
admiration  for  the  talent  of  this,  one  of  Austria's  greatest 
and  most  talented  actors,  and  showed  him  marked  kind- 
ness upon  different  occasions.  While  staying  at  San 
Eemo  she  visited  an  Austrian  lady  who  owns  a  villa 
there,  and  while  being  shown  round  the  house  she  came 
upon  an  apartment  beautifully  decorated  with  palms  and 
flowers. 

"This,"  said  the  Empress's  host,  "is  the  room  where 
my  dear  mother  died,  and  I  preserve  it,  as  your  Majesty 
can  see,  like  a  sort  of  little  memorial  chapel." 

"  Your  mother  was  a  woman  of  taste,"  replied  the 
Empress,  pointing  to  a  marble  bust  of  Sonnenthal  which 
stood  on  a  pedestal  in  a  corner,  "since  she  appreciated 
our  great  artist." 

95 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Alexander  Strakosch  was  also  a  great  favourite  of 
Empress  Elizabeth's.  The  late  Archduke  Charles-Louis 
told  hiui  one  day,  after  a  recitation  which  the  genial 
Strakosch  had  given  at  the  Archduke's  beautiful  castle 
of  Wartholz : 

"  I  wish  that  my  sister-in-law,  the  Empress,  could 
hear  you,"  and  thereupon  arranged  to  bring  him  to  the 
Hofburg,  where  he  was  presented  to  Elizabeth  by  the 
then  grand  mistress  of  her  court,  Countess  Kornis.  In 
1888,  just  after  Strakosch's  return  from  a  tour  in  America, 
he  was  requested  to  come  to  Ischl,  and  to  appear  at  the 
Kaiser  Villa.  The  Emperor  was  present  on  that  occa- 
sion, and  shaking  him  warmly  by  the  hand,  his  Majesty 
exclaimed : 

"You  have  done  us  much  honour  in  America  by 
your  wonderful  success." 

After  the  evening  meal,  which  he  was  asked  to  share 
with  the  imperial  family,  and  during  which  both  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  talked  in  the  most  gracious  and 
amiable  fashion  about  America,  Strakosch  recited  the 
forum  scene  from  "Julius  Caesar."  When  he  had 
finished,  the  Empress  said,  smiling : 

"  It  is  wonderful !  While  you  were  speaking  I  closed 
my  eyes,  and  actually  fancied  myself  transported  to 
ancient  Rome." 

She  then  asked  him  to  recite  the  "  Two  Grenadiers," 
that  beautiful  poem  of  Heine's,  and  also  "  The  Pilgrimage 
to  Kevelaar,"  and  while  he  was  reciting  it  great  tears 
ran  down  the  Empress's  cheeks.  Heine  was  her  favourite 
poet,  and  her  reverence  for  him  was  extreme ;  she  pos- 
sessed all  his  works,  some  of  them  in  manuscript,  and 
there  are  many  touching  things  that  could  be  told  about 
her  kindness  to  the  great  poet's  family. 

Marie-Valerie  is  her  mother's  imitator  in  being  the 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

untiring  protectress  of  the  poor  and  the  afflicted,  and 
the  lessons  which  she  learned  in  her  youth  with  regard 
to  this  have  borne  and  are  still  bearing  fruit,  although, 
perhaps,  just  as  was  the  case  with  Elizabeth,  justice  is 
not  always  done  to  her  by  the  common  herd. 

Ever  ready  to  propagate  cruel  absurdities  concerning 
the  Empress,  the  short-sighted,  frivolous,  and  superficial 
society  of  the  Austrian  capital  remained  only  too  often 
blind  to  her  innumerable  acts  of  charity.  Often,  in  the 
early  hours  of  the  morning,  she  would  glide  out  of  her 
palace  either  at  Vienna  or  at  Buda-Pesth  to  proceed  on 
errands  of  mercy,  accompanied  by  a  trusted,  confidential 
attendant.  Elizabeth  never  knew  fear.  She  penetrated 
into  the  darkest,  poorest,  and  roughest  quarters,  where 
were  huddled  together  the  fierce  multitudes  that  breed 
anarchy  and  that  make  revolutions.  She  was  perfectly 
safe  among  them.  No  one  knew  who  she  was,  but  her 
courage,  her  gentleness,  and  her  open-hearted  generosity 
caused  the  wretched  creatures  whom  she  visited  to  regard 
her  in  the  light  of  an  angel.  They  never  suspected 
that  the  kind  lady  who  succoured  their  cruel  need  was 
the  cold,  proud,  and  haughty  sovereign  who  was  taxed 
with  heartlessness  and  indifference  by  both  high  and 
low  in  the  great  country  over  which  her  husband  reigned. 
Numerous  families  redeemed  from  misery  and  suffering, 
many  slovenly  homes  saved  from  despair,  many  foul 
places  purged  to  moral  and  practical  cleanliness — these 
were  some  of  the  results  of  her  Majesty's  visits  to  the 
slums  of  her  empire.  She  could  go  unharmed  where 
the  police  would  hardly  venture,  for  the  people  grew 
to  love  her,  and  would  not  willingly  have  hurt  a  hair  of 
her  head.  She  helped  the  unfortunate  unconditionally, 
and  consoled  them  just  as  did  her  namesake,  Elizabeth 
of  Hungary,  centuries  ago. 

97  H 


THE   MARTYRDOM    OF   AN"    EMPRESS 

I  remember  many  a  secret  errand  upon  which  we 
went  together,  unaccompanied  by  even  so  much  as  a 
servant,  at  dusk,  in  the  most  squalid  quarters  of  Vienna 
or  Buda-Pesth.  Dressed  in  the  plainest  fashion  possible, 
we  wended  our  way  through  narrow  alleys  and  ascended 
damp,  mouldy  staircases,  where  it  hardly  seemed  safe 
to  tread,  in  quest  of  the  dark  lodgings  of  the  truly 
,  deserving  poor,  who  belong  to  a  class  too  proud  to 
become  actual  beggars.  Many  a  sick-bed  was  brightened 
by  flowers  and  fruit,  of  which  Elizabeth  always  insisted 
upon  carrying  her  fair  share.  Her  sweet  face  brought 
light  and  joy  to  the  miserable  wretches  tossing  their 
fevered  bodies  on  dingy  beds.  No  sore  was  too  repulsive, 
no  task  too  fatiguing  for  her  slender,  imperial  hands, 
and  instead  of  the  cant  which  is  used  by  so  many  when 
bent  on  such  errands,  she  would  find  some  encouraging, 
cheering  words  of  hope  and  sympathy,  untainted  by 
religious  exaggerations  and  preachings,  which  went 
straight  to  the  hearts  of  the  sufferers. 

Sometimes  our  adventures  in  this  direction  were 
fraught  with  rather  amusing  episodes.  For  instance, 
late  one  evening  we  were  riding  side  by  side  through  a 
straggling  outskirt  of  Pesth,  followed  at  the  regulation 
distance  by  an  old  and  faithful  groom.  Passing  in  front 
of  a  lonely  hovel  separated  from  the  main  road  by  an 
apology  for  a  garden,  where  some  weeds  and  gaunt 
shrubs  grew,  we  were  startled  by  hearing  the  most 
awful  screams  for  help  proceeding  from  the  ramshackle, 
crazy-looking  plank  building.  The  voice  was  that  of 
a  woman  evidently  in  the  greatest  of  distress.  On  the 
impulse  of  the  moment  we  both  leaped  from  our  horses, 
and  rushing  to  the  door  and  pushing  it  open,  we  found 
ourselves  in  a  villanously  dirty  room,  where  a  huge 
ruffian  of  a  man  was  dragging  a  woman  about  the  floor 

98 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

by  her  luxuriant,  unbound  hair,  kicking  her  vigorously 
as  he  did  so.  Before  I  realized  what  was  happening, 
the  Empress  had  laid  her  heavy  hunting-crop  about  the 
fellow's  face,  and  so  surprised  was  he  at  our  unexpected 
appearance  and  at  this  vigorous  onslaught  that  he 
dropped  his  victim  and  stared  at  us  in  blank  amazement. 
His  astonishment  was,  however,  as  nothing  to  ours  when 
the  ill-used  dame  sprang  to  her  feet  and,  putting  her 
arms  akimbo,  demanded,  in  her  shrillest  Hungarian  and 
with  a  torrent  of  invectives,  what  "we  hussies"  meant 
by  interfering  with  her  husband.  The  Empress,  who 
possessed  a  considerable  amount  of  humour,  and  in  whom 
the  sense  of  the  ridiculous  was  singularly  developed, 
burst  into  a  peal  of  laughter,  and  taking  from  the  side 
pocket  of  her  habit  a  couple  of  gold  ten-gulden  pieces, 
she  handed  them  to  this  model  benedict,  exclaiming : 
"Beat  her,  my  friend.  Beat  her  all  she  wants.  She 
deserves  it  for  being  so  loyal  to  you." 

Elizabeth  adored  children,  and  was  gentle  and 
motherly  to  rich  and  poor  alike.  At  the  close  of  the 
Vienna  exhibition  of  1873  she  took  into  her  service  a 
little  Berberine  boy  named  Mahmoud,  who  had  accom- 
panied the  Egyptian  government  mission  to  Austria. 
He  had  acted  as  page  of  the  Cairene  house  which  the 
Khedive  Ismail  had  caused  to  be  erected  in  the  Prater 
and  had  presented  to  her  imperial  majesty.  The  little 
fellow,  with  his  great  black  eyes,  his  bright  and 
picturesque  dress,  and  his  dusky  skin,  looked  for  all 
the  world  like  one  of  Barbedienne's  enamelled  bronzes. 
The  Empress  became  much  attached  to  the  tiny  African, 
and  was  exceedingly  kind  to  him.  When  the  cruel  cold 
of  the  Vienna  winter  affected  his  lungs,  accustomed  as 
he  was  to  the  hot  winds  of  the  African  desert,  and  he 
fell  ill  with  pneumonia,  she  nursed  and  tended  him  with 

99 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

her  own  fair  hands.  Mahmoud  literally  worshipped  his 
imperial  mistress,  and  could  hardly  bear  her  out  of  his 
sight.  This  intense  devotion,  however,  had  its  draw- 
backs, for  he  was  morbidly  jealous  of  her,  with  all  the 
unreasoning  jealousy  of  a  child  and  the  savagery  of  a 
wild  little  animal.  He  became  the  playmate  of  young 
Archduchess  Valerie,  and  the  horror  of  the  Austrian 
aristocracy  knew  no  bounds  when  they  saw  their 
Empress's  favourite  child,  who  looked  like  a  dainty 
harebell  with  her  slender  figure  and  bright  gossamer 
skirts,  continually  in  the  company  of  the  flat-nosed  and 
thick-lipped  African  boy.  The  Empress,  on  being  in- 
formed of  the  indignation  which  she  had  unwittingly 
aroused  by  her  kindness  to  Mahmoud,  whom  she  was 
accustomed  to  describe  as  mcin  kleiner  schwarzcr  Kaefer 
(my  little  black  beetle),  became  imbued  with  the  spirit 
of  defiance  which  she  so  often  displayed  where  her 
Austrian  subjects  were  concerned,  and  she  responded 
to  their  murmurs  by  having  the  two  children — the 
white  and  the  black,  the  imperial  princess  and  the  slave 
boy — photographed  together,  arm  in  arm.  Haughty, 
patrician,  exclusive  Vienna  lifted  its  hands  to  Heaven 
in  its  indignation,  and  this  one  act  of  hers  added 
thousands  to  the  already  large  number  of  Elizabeth's 
detractors.  Many  even  then  began  again  to  hint  that 
the  Empress  was  not  quite  right  in  her  mind,  and  that 
her  extravagances  were  certain  signs  of  latent  dementia. 


100 


CHAPTER    VII 

Religious  as  was  the  Empress,  yet  she  hated  exaggera- 
tion in  everything,  and  the  breadth  and  lucidity  of  her 
mind  made  her  regard  fanaticism  with  a  sort  of  horror. 
She  was  so  deeply  shocked  by  the  tragic  history  of  the 
Carmelite  nun,  Sister  Barbara,  which,  when  brought  to 
light  in  1869,  was  the  cause  of  the  bloody  riots  which 
took  place  at  Cracow,  that  she  immediately  used  her 
influence  in  order  to  have  the  whole  horrible  affair 
cleared  up.  Indeed,  it  was  through  a  petition  addressed 
to  the  Empress  by  the  victim's  brother  that  the  gruesome 
secret  of  the  Polish  Carmelite  convent  was  disclosed. 

Sister  Barbara  belonged  to  a  noble  Polish  family 
who  had  forced  her  to  enter  religious  orders  in  order 
to  prevent  her  from  marrying  a  young  officer  of  Lancers 
with  whom  she  had  fallen  in  love,  but  who  unfortunately 
had  neither  rank,  title,  nor  fortune.  On  entering  the 
grim  old  convent  of  Cracow,  she  ceased  all  communica- 
tions with  her  family,  by  her  express  desire,  as  it  was 
believed  at  the  time ;  and  it  was  not  until  more  than 
twenty  years  had  elapsed  that  one  of  her  brothers, 
inquiring  from  the  religious  authorities  what  had  become 
of  his  beautiful  sister,  was  given  to  understand  that  she 
was  not  any  longer  on  the  list  of  the  living.  Struck 
by  the  shiftiness  of  the  answer,  he  proceeded  to  the 
palace  of  the  Archbishop  of  Cracow,  and  throwing 
himself  at  the  venerable  prelate's  feet,  entreated  him 
to  find  out  if  Sister  Barbara  were  really  living.     The 

101 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

archbishop  took  steps  without  delay  to  discover  the 
truth,  but  the  abbess  of  the  Carmelite  convent  in  which 
Sister  Barbara  was  supposed  to  have  died  not  only 
refused  to  answer  any  questions  about  the  matter,  but, 
availing  herself  of  the  inviolability  of  convents,  abso- 
lutely declined  to  allow  any  government  official  to  pass 
the  portals.  In  the  mean  while  the  brother  had  sent 
off  his  petition  to  Empress  Elizabeth.  She  promptly 
sent  it  to  the  Archbishop  of  Cracow  and  with  it  a 
personal  letter,  begging  him  at  once  to  institute  a 
search  in  the  convent. 

The  archbishop,  who  was  a  just  and  enlightened  man, 
secured  the  assistance  of  the  police,  and  surrounded  by 
a  battalion  of  gendarmes,  commanded  by  Count  Spauer, 
one  of  the  most  dashing  and  plucky  cavalry  officers  of 
the  Emperor's  army,  forced  an  entrance  into  the  convent 
in  spite  of  the  invectives  and  desperate  resistance  of  the 
infuriated  nuns.  The  latter  actually  went  so  far  as  to 
arm  themselves  with  stones,  and  the  military  narrowly 
escaped  being  ignominiously  repulsed  by  these  holy 
women,  against  whom,  of  course,  they  dared  not  draw 
their  swords. 

After  a  long  search,  the  archbishop  and  his  party 
descended  into  the  dungeons,  fifteen  feet  under  the 
ground,  where  they  heard  low  groans  and  moans,  which 
sounded  more  bestial  than  human,  proceeding  from  a 
half-bricked-up  cell  in  a  narrow  stone  passage.  In  this 
living  tomb,  seven  paces  long  by  six  paces  wide,  they 
discovered,  by  the  light  of  the  torches  they  carried,  a 
naked  woman,  with  long  dishevelled  hair,  crouching 
in  a  corner  of  her  filthy  prison.  At  the  unaccustomed 
sight  of  light  the  unfortunate  creature  began  to  scream 
with  terror,  and,  springing  to  her  feet,  tore  at  the  granite 
walls  with  her  talon-like  nails.     After  much  labour  the 

102 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

bricks,  which  more  than  half  closed  up  the   entrance, 
were  removed,  and  the  raving  inmate  of  the  cell  was 
approached.    It  was  found  that  both  her  feet  and  hands 
were  loosely  bound  with  steel  chains,  so  as  to  avoid  the 
remotest  possibility  of  escape  on  her  part,  and  that  her 
whole  body  was  covered  with  ulcers,  while  her  tangled 
tresses  were  simply  alive  with  vermin.     This  was  Sister 
Barbara  Ubryk,  insane,  and  without  the  power  of  speech 
— the  consequences  of  her  incarceration  of  over  nineteen 
years  in  this  chamber  of  physical  and  mental  torture. 
The  archbishop,  shocked  beyond  measure,  had  the  abbess 
brought  before  him,  and  frightened  her  into  confessing 
to  him  that  this  barbarous  deed  had  been  perpetrated 
by  her  orders,  and  in  punishment  of  what  she  called  a 
crime  committed  by  Sister  Barbara.     The  "crime"  in 
question  consisted  in  her  having,  during  the  first  year 
of  her  convent  novitiate,  kept  up  a  correspondence  with 
her  former  admirer,  and  having,  it  appeared,  consented 
by   letter   to   elope   with   him.     This   infraction   of  all 
convent  rules  was  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  abbess 
by  a  nun  whom  poor  Barbara  had  been  forced  to  take 
into   her   confidence,  and   who   was   glad   to   ingratiate 
herself   with    the    mother  -  superior    by    betraying    her 
miserable  companion.     With  the  help  of  this  nun,  the 
abbess   conducted    Sister   Barbara   to   the   underground 
dungeon   at   the   dead   of  night,  and   bound   her  with 
chains.     With  their  own  delicate  hands  the  two  women 
built  up  the  entrance  of  the  narrow  prison  with  bricks, 
leaving   only  a   square   opening   through   which   bread 
and  water  were  handed  three  times  a  week.     No  one 
else  was  let  into  the  dismal  secret,  and  as  the  dungeon 
was  supposed  to  be  haunted,  the  moans  and  cries  of 
the  prisoner,  if  ever  heard  by  the  members  of  the  com- 
munity,  were   attributed   to   supernatural   visitors,   and 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

not  one  of  the  nuns  ever  dared  to  approach  the  steps 
leading  down  to  the  subterranean  part  of  the  great 
building.  The  archbishop,  whose  indignation  knew  no 
bounds,  placed  the  abbess,  together  with  her  accom- 
plice, under  arrest,  in  a  cell  guarded  by  sentries,  until 
he  could  refer  the  matter  to  his  Holiness  the  Pope. 
Sister  Barbara,  who  meanwhile  had  been  clothed  and 
fed,  he  took  to  the  city  lunatic  asylum. 

When  the  story  became  known  to  the  people  of 
Cracow,  they  collected  around  the  convent  where  the 
abbess  was  imprisoned  and  threatened  to  burn  not  only 
it  but  all  the  convents  with  which  the  town  abounds. 
The  military  had  to  be  called  out  again,  and  the 
terrible  riots  which  ensued  lasted  long  and  caused  much 
bloodshed.  Subsequently  the  abbess,  and  the  nun  who 
had  been  her  confidante  and  helpmate,  were  severely 
punished  by  the  Pope. 

In  the  year  1876,  while  on  a  visit  to  Cracow,  I  was 
taken  to  see  the  lunatic  asylum  where  Sister  Barbara 
had  been  placed.  The  director  of  the  asylum  asked  me 
whether  I  should  like  to  see  the  heroine  of  the  riots 
of  1869.  To  this  I  readily  acquiesced,  and  I  was  soon 
ushered  into  a  large,  sunny  room,  brightened  by  flowers 
and  daintily  furnished.  Near  the  window,  sitting  in  a 
large  chintz-covered  arm-chair,  was  Sister  Barbara,  her 
hands  crossed  in  her  lap  and  her  large  blue  eyes  staring 
vacantly  at  a  cage  full  of  canaries  which  stood  on  the 
window-sill.  Could  this  placid,  white-haired,  aristocratic- 
looking  woman  be  the  same  who  had  seven  years  before 
been  rescued  from  an  awful  martyrdom,  and  who  then 
had  been  more  like  a  wild  animal  than  a  human  being  ? 
However,  it  was  so!  Gentle  treatment  and  good  care 
had  restored  her  health,  but  neither  her  reason  nor  her 
power   of   speech.      Her   attendants   told    me   that   she 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

seemed  to  have  forgotten  all  her  tortures.  She  was 
now  always  quiet,  and  apparently  incapable  of  feeling 
any  kind  of  emotion  ;  birds  and  flowers  arrested  her 
eye,  and  sometimes  brought  a  faint  smile  to  her  still 
beautiful  lips,  but  otherwise  she  was  absolutely  oblivious 
of  her  surroundings. 

I  spoke  to  her,  but  she  took  no  notice  of  what  I 
said,  and  after  a  few  moments  I  left  her  still  gazing 
at  the  little  imprisoned  songsters,  who,  perchance,  re- 
minded her  of  the  time  when  she  also  was  a  captive, 
though  in  a  far  more  dreadful  cage. 

The  Empress  was  so  deeply  interested  in  what  I 
subsequently  told  her  of  my  visit  to  Sister  Barbara 
that  until  the  latter's  death,  which  occurred  some  ten 
years  later,  she  frequently  sent  flowers  to  the  poor, 
forlorn  creature,  and  also  some  pretty  and  valuable 
singing-birds,  since  birds  and  flowers  alone  had  re- 
tained the  power  of  awakening  a  ray  of  feeling  in  her 
dimmed  soul. 

It  is  hard  to  think  that  death  alone  should  have 
been  able  to  tear  the  veil  which  obscured  the  sight  of 
Elizabeth's  detractors.  The  Austrian  press,  from  the 
very  moment  that  the  electric  wires  flashed  to  Vienna 
the  awful  news  of  her  assassination,  took  upon  itself 
to  deluge  her  memory  with  encomiums  and  enthusiastic 
praise.  A  Vienna  daily  paper  published  an  article, 
entitled  "  The  Misjudged  Empress,"  in  which  it  confessed 
"that  the  Vienna  press  frequently  misinterpreted  the 
noble  motives  and  intentions  of  the  Empress,  who  was 
a  highly  strung,  sensitive  character,  and  whose  fine 
feelings,  abhorrent  to  every  form  of  self-advertisement, 
were  sometimes  mistaken  for  pride  and  dislike  by  the 
Viennese." 

Some  of  these  articles  came  under  my  notice  lately, 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

and  I  cannot  help  feeling  the  bitterness  of  these  post- 
mortem retractions,  which  seem  of  but  very  little  use, 
and  which  do  not  in  any  way  modify  my  opinion  when 
I  said  at  the  beginning  of  this  work  that  "not  a  pen 
is  being  grasped  m  vindication  of  so  many  injustices." 
For  eulogies  accorded  to  the  dead  are  comprised  in 
all  funeral  ceremonies,  and  could  corpses,  lying  under 
the  sod  of  our  cemeteries,  or  beneath  the  flag-stones 
of  gorgeous  mausoleums,  hear  the  pompous  speeches 
pronounced  by  people  who  hated  and  reviled  them 
during  their  lives,  they  might  possibly  indulge  in  a 
cadaverous  grin  at  the  hypocrisy  of  good,  generous 
humanity ! 

The  multitudes  which  thronged  the  streets  of  Vienna 
to  witness  the  gorgeous  procession  following  Elizabeth's 
coffin  was  composed  of  those  self-same  mourners  who 
accompanied,  ten  years  before,  that  of  Archduke  Rudolph 
— "Unser  Eudi" — and  who  wept  and  sobbed  and  tore 
their  hair,  while  in  their  hearts  lurked  the  conviction 
that  the  young  Prince  was  first  an  assassin  and  then  a 
suicide.  Ten  years,  I  say !  It  is  a  long  time,  and  yet 
during  all  those  days  and  months  which  composed  them 
nobody  has  really  tried  to  put  the  truth,  the  naked,  un- 
adorned truth,  of  Rudolph's  responsibility  in  the  matter 
before  the  public.  One  writer — who  called  and  still 
calls  himself  a  friend  of  the  ill-fated  Prince — has  pub- 
lished a  booklet  about  the  Mayerling  tragedy.  But, 
alas,  the  so-called  "excuses"  which  he  puts  forward  to 
exonerate  Rudolph  from  blame  are  two-edged  tools, 
which  would  cut  and  slice  what  might  otherwise  remain 
sacred  about  his  memory  were  that  pamphlet  more 
generally  read — which,  thank  goodness,  it  is  not ! 

Mother  and  son  have  been  misunderstood,  misjudged, 
ah,  how  severely !     But  now  they  are  reunited,  and  all 

10G 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

the  sorrows  and  disappointments  of  their  earthly  careers 
have  passed  from  them — all  the  unkindness  done  to 
them  by  so  many,  the  small  and  the  great.  Indeed, 
in  so  far  as  their  home  life  was  concerned,  they  might 
both  have  quoted  the  following  lines: 

"  Small  slights,  neglect,  unmixed,  perhaps,  with  hate, 
Make  up  in  number  what  they  want  in  weight. 
These,  and  a  thousand  griefs  minute  as  these, 
Corrode  our  comfort  and  destroy  our  ease.1' 

And  what  about  their  other  countless  miseries? 

The  bond  which  united  Eudi  to  his  mother  was  a 
very  strong  one;  she  was  so  youthful  and  full  of  life 
and  beauty  that  he  felt  towards  her  as  if  she  had  been 
but  an  elder  and  beloved  sister.  When  apart  from  each 
other  they  were  in  the  habit  of  corresponding  daily,  and 
many  of  the  letters  thus  exchanged  were  exquisite  bits 
of  literature.  The  style  of  each  was  remarkable,  and 
they  wrote  to  each  other  in  many  different  languages, 
especially  in  English,  which  they  both  loved  to  speak 
and  to  write.  A  letter  written  by  Eudi  at  the  end  of 
the  seventies  from  the  Istrian  coast,  where  he  had  gone 
to  visit  a  friend,  began  as  follows  : 

"My  Dearest,— When  I  arrived  the  sun  was  shining  brightly  on 
the  top  of  the  pink  granite  cliffs,  shedding  its  golden  light  over  the 
undulating  plains  of  the  table-land,  which  looked  like  a  sea  of  dewy 
grasses  and  odorous  flowers.  Far  down  below  us  there  was  a  hazy, 
shimmering  line  that  showed  where  the  sea  was  breaking  on  the 
Adriatic  shore.  I  never  come  so  far  south  without  wishing,  more 
than  ever,  that  you  were  with  me,  you  who  love  and  appreciate  this 
beautiful  part  of  the  world  so  much.  In  this  spring-tide  of  the  year, 
this  season  of  youth  and  of  love,  of  birds'  songs  and  of  budding  roses, 
I  found  Philip  in  the  stately,  melancholy  rooms  of  his  villa,  which 
stands  on  a  steeply  rising  slope.  He  was  arranging  pictures,  tapestries, 
statues,  bronzes,  and  old  brocades  and  embroideries,  in  the  picturesque 
and  artistic  litter  which  he  knows  so  well  how  to  produce.     Outside, 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

in  the  grand  shady  gardens,  hundreds  of  nightingales  "warbled  their 
morning  sonnets  in  the  groves  of  camellias  and  of  ilex-trees.  It 
is  a  delightful  place.  I  fell  at  once  in  love  with  its  moss-grown 
terraces,  where  miles  of  ivy  and  of  clustering  vines  run  riot  beneath 
immense  cedars  and  magnolias.  You  would  be  charmed  with  the 
dreamy  peaceful  repose  which  reigns  here  supreme.  I  am  going  to 
ride  a  great  deal  during  my  stay,  in  order  to  explore  the  country  to 
right  and  to  left ;  it  is  far  more  poetical  than  your  dear  Ireland,  mother 
mine,  etc." 

This  was  written  shortly  after  the  Empress's  return 
from  her  first  hunting-trip  to  Ireland.  Fond  as  she 
was  of  hunting  in  her  own  country,  yet  she  delighted 
in  the  time  which  she  spent  in  Ireland,  and  when,  in 
1879,  she  first  arrived  on  the  Emerald  Isle,  she  gave 
vent  to  a  perfect  burst  of  enthusiasm  concerning  the 
excellent  conditions  under  which  one  could  hunt  there, 
and  especially  with  regard  to  the  dangerous  obstacles 
with  which  the  country  is  so  thickly  studded.  She  was 
then  preserving  a  semi-incognito  under  the  name  of 
"Countess  of  Hohenembs,"  and  made  herself  very 
comfortable  at  Summerhill,  Lord  Langford's  residence 
in  County  Meath,  which  she  had  taken  as  her  hunting- 
box.  She  brought  with  her  fifty-two  horses,  ten  of  which 
were  her  especial  favourites,  being  magnificent  Irish 
hunters,  and  including  "  The  Boy,"  "  Jupiter,"  "  Domino," 
"The  Doctor,"  "Investment,"  "Beauclerc,"  "Lorraine," 
"  Othello,"  and  "  Black  Prince." 

"  Bay  Middleton "  was  her  pilot  from  the  day  of  her 
very  first  hunt  in  Ireland.  This  took  place  on  the  24th 
of  February,  1879,  the  meet  being  at  Dunshaughlin, 
and  the  field  including  Lord  Spencer,  then  Viceroy  of 
Ireland,  Prince  Rudolph  Lichtenstein,  and  many  other 
well-known  riders. 

February  of  the  next  year  found  Elizabeth  back  in 
County  Meath.     It  was  during  that  visit  that  a  certain 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

fox  she  was  pursuing  sprang  over  the  wall  of  Maynooth 
College,  and  rushed  across  the  exercise-ground,  where 
the  pious  young  students  were  pacing  to  and  fro.  What 
was  the  astonishment  of  these  youths  when  the  wall  was 
also  cleared  by  a  lovely  woman  sitting  with  amazing 
skill  a  magnificent  hunter,  all  flecked  with  foam  and 
mud.  It  was  the  Empress  of  Austria,  who  had  followed 
the  fox  through  thick  and  thin,  and  evidently  also 
through  a  great  deal  of  water,  for  she  was  dripping  wet. 
Dr.  Walsh,  who  was  then  principal  of  Maynooth  College, 
hurried  into  the  grounds  to  receive  the  Empress,  who 
had  so  unwittingly  and  so  unceremoniously  entered  his 
domain,  and  observing  that  she  was  running  great  danger 
of  catching  a  severe  cold  in  her  present  drenched  con- 
dition, offered  her  a  warm  wrap.  No  feminine  garment, 
however,  was  to  be  found  in  that  school  for  young 
priests,  and  Elizabeth  had  to  accept  Dr.  Walsh's  own 
cloak,  which  she  donned,  laughingly  remarking  that 
with  it  a  doctor's  degree  ought  to  be  conferred  upon 
her !  On  the  following  day  the  Empress  sent  Dr.  Walsh 
a  diamond  ring  of  great  value,  and  later  on  presented 
the  college  with  a  superb  silver  statue  of  St.  George 
and  the  Dragon,  as  well  as  with  a  set  of  magnificent 
vestments,  but  the  academic  coat  she  insisted  upon 
keeping  in  memory  of  her  impromptu  visit.  A  requiem 
mass  was  celebrated  at  the  death  of  the  Empress,  for 
the  repose  of  her  soul,  in  the  college  chapel,  and  much 
emotion  was  shown  by  those  present,  who  still  recalled 
the  happy  memories  of  her  stay  in  Ireland. 

In  1881  Elizabeth  rented  Combermere  Abbey,  in 
Cheshire,  for  part  of  the  hunting  season,  and  had^a 
splendid  time  while  there.  She  was  very  fond  of  Eng- 
land, Ireland,  and  Scotland,  and  could  not  bear  to  have 
the  British  Isles  disparaged  in  her  presence.     One  day 

109 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

somebody  spoke  before  her  of  "Foggy  England,"  and 
she  promptly  rejoined: 

"  You  have  a  perfectly  false  idea  of  the  place.  Parts 
of  it  are  simply  incomparable,  and  as  to  the  Isle  of 
Wight,  it  is  a  little  paradise  on  earth.  Why,  dear  me, 
I  saw  fuchsias  and  heliotropes  there  as  big  as  trees,  and 
covered  with  the  sweetest  blossoms  one  can  imagine. 
The  myrtles,  too,  and  the  pomegranates  and  oleanders, 
would  make  one  believe  that  one  was  in  Greece,  while 
those  great  green,  velvety  lawns  that  sweep  right  down 
to  the  sea  could  be  found  nowhere  but  in  English 
territory." 

One  of  the  many  memorials  of  Empress  Elizabeth 
which  will  remain  in  Austria,  and  one  of  the  most 
picturesque  and  romantic,  is  certainly  the  chapel  and 
shrine  of  St.  Maria-Zell,  in  the  Styrian  Alps.  It  is 
the  bourne  of  countless  pilgrimages.  I  mention  it  here 
because  it  is  intimately  related  with  the  Empress's 
passionate  love  for  horses,  and  especially  with  one 
accident  which  she  encountered  while  in  the  saddle.  It 
owes  its  origin  to  the  efforts  of  the  youngest  daughter 
of  Empress  Elizabeth — namely,  Archduchess  Valerie — 
who,  when  but  twelve  years  of  age,  devoted  all  the 
money  that  she  could  either  save  or  beg  from  her  relatives 
to  the  erection  of  this  chapel,  which  she  dedicated  to 
St.  Maria-Zell  and  to  St.  George  as  a  thank-offering  for 
the  marvellous  escape  of  her  mother  from  death. 

One  day,  Avhile  the  Empress  was  riding  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  the  spot  where  the  shrine  now 
stands,  she  had  occasion  to  cross  a  bridge  rudely  made  of 
trunks  of  fir-trees,  which  spanned  a  deep  and  turbulent 
torrent.  Somehow  or  another  her  high-spirited  horse 
caught  one  of  its  hind  feet  between  the  rugged  planks, 
and    immediately    commenced    to    rear    in    its    frantic 

110 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

endeavours  to  free  itself.  It  was  only  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  that  the  Empress,  perfect  horsewoman  though 
she  was,  managed  to  retain  her  seat,  and  to  avoid  being 
hurled  into  the  torrent  seething  among  the  rocks  far 
below.  At  length  one  of  the  grooms  who  was  following 
her  succeeded  in  quieting  the  terrified  animal  sufficiently 
to  enable  her  to  dismount,  and  after  having  assisted  in 
extricating  the  horse's  leg  from  between  the  planks, 
which  had  severely  bruised  it,  she  pursued  her  way  on 
foot.  The  Empress  attributed  her  preservation  to  the 
special  intervention  on  her  behalf  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
of  Zell,  and  to  that  of  St.  George,  who  is  the  patron- 
saint  of  all  horsemen  and  horsewomen. 

On  learning  of  her  mother's  danger,  Archduchess 
Valerie  was  so  impressed  by  the  account  that  she  im- 
mediately planned  the  erection  of  the  beautiful  chapel 
which  now  covers  the  shrine  of  St.  Maria-of-Zell.  Over 
the  entrance  is  a  marble  block  bearing  the  following 
inscription  composed  by  the  little  Archduchess : 

"  Holy  Mother  and  Blessed  St.  George,  patron  of  cavaliers,  who 
can  preserve  us  from  all  danger,  and  by  whom  my  mother  has  been 
so  often  protected  when  no  human  help  could  avail  her,  I  pray  to  you 
both  with  confidence  that  you  will  not  disdain  my  humble  petition,  and 
that  you  will  always  be  the  saviours  of  the  precious  life  which  gave 
life  to  me. 

"  Marie- Valerie,     In  remembrance." 

The  chapel,  or  church,  in  question  is  built  in  Gothic 
style  on  some  shelving  rocks,  in  the  midst  of  a  dense 
pine-wood  which  partly  covers  the  mountain-side.  All 
around  are  precipices,  the  borders  and  bases  of  which  are 
black  with  fir-trees,  and  a  great  mountain  capped  with 
snow  towers  above  the  edifice,  its  sides  bristling  with 
jagged  rocks,  chasms,  and  huge  boulders. 

The  treasury  of  the  chapel  is  filled  with  magnificent 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

offerings  presented  by  the  ladies  belonging  to  the 
Austrian  imperial  family,  and  to  the  nobility.  In 
many  cases  they  are  emblazoned  with  their  monograms 
and  armorial  bearings.  The  Countess  de  Chambord, 
wife  of  the  French  Legitimist  Pretender,  presented  a 
short  time  before  her  death  three  superb  lamps  of  solid 
gold  for  the  sanctuary,  and  also  a  huge  diamond  cross 
which  had  belonged  to  Queen  Marie-Antoinette.  The 
altar-covering  is  of  almost  priceless  point  de  Venise,  and 
is  the  gift  of  Empress  Elizabeth  herself. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  offerings  of  the  rich  and 
the  great  is  preserved  the  tribute  of  a  poor  peasant 
girl,  whose  history  is  a  touching  one.  She  was  of  most 
humble  origin,  and  spent  her  days  in  tending  her  cattle 
on  the  grassy  slopes  around  her  father's  alpine  hut. 
Gay  and  thoughtless  as  a  bird,  she  led  a  happy,  careless 
life  in  her  mountains,  and  sang  from  morn  till  night. 

One  day,  however,  despair  filled  her  heart.  Her 
betrothed,  a  handsome,  brawny  mountaineer,  lay  at  the 
point  of  death  from  the  effects  of  an  injury  received 
while  out  hunting  chamois.  Heady  to  sacrifice  almost 
anything  for  the  sake  of  his  recovery,  she  cut  off  her 
superb  golden  hair  and  offered  it  as  a  votive-gift  to  Our 
Lady  of  Zell.  The  young  man  recovered,  but,  sad  to 
relate,  he  was  so  dismayed  and  even  disgusted  at  the 
aspect  presented  by  his  betrothed  shorn  of  her  magnifi- 
cent hair,  which  had  been  one  of  the  principal  features 
of  her  beauty,  that  he  requited  her  devotion  with  cold- 
ness, scorn,  and  infidelity.  Broken-hearted,  the  poor 
girl  retired  to  a  cloister,  but  to  this  day  her  lovely 
golden  tresses,  tied  with  the  faded  blue  ribbon,  are 
preserved  in  the  treasury  of  St.  Maria-Zell,  side  by  side 
with  the  diamond  cross  of  the  far  more  unfortunate 
consort  of  King  Louis  XVI.  of  France. 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Maria-Zell  is  situated,  as  I  have  said,  right  in  the 
heart  of  the  Styrian  Alps,  far  away  from  the  beaten  track 
of  foreign  tourists,  who  rarely  find  their  way  thither. 
Every  year,  however,  from  ten  to  twelve  thousand 
Austrians,  consisting  of  peasants,  bourgeois,  nobles,  and 
members  of  the  imperial  family,  visit  the  shrine  for  the 
purpose  of  entreating  the  intercession  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  of  Zell  and  of  St.  George.  The  pilgrims  gene- 
rally arrive  in  large  bands.  They  sing  as  they  march, 
and  the  melody  of  these  hundreds  of  harmonious  voices 
ringing  out  in  the  fresh,  clear  alpine  air  is  indescribably 
solemn  and  grand.  Austrians,  even  to  the  lowest  class, 
all  possess  a  remarkable  sense  of  music  and  a  deep  love 
for  it.  Nature  itself  in  the  Austrian  Alps  is  full  of 
melody ;  the  echoes  of  the  rushing  torrents,  the  song- 
birds warbling  in  the  woods,  the  murmuring  of  the 
wind  through  the  tall  reeds  which  encircle  the  moun- 
tain lakes,  all  unite  in  a  concert  of  the  most  entrancing 
character,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  inhabitants 
of  these  poetical  regions  should  be  influenced  thereby. 

The  costumes,  too,  of  the  pilgrims  are  superb,  and 

nowhere   else   can   such   a  variety  and   picturesqueness 

of  garb  be  seen  as  in  the  processions  of  worshippers 

on  their  way  to  Maria-Zell.     The  Styrian  women  wear 

short  skirts  of  heavy  silk  brocaded   in  bright  colours, 

and  caps   adorned   with   golden   filigree,   which  are  so 

valuable  that  they  are  handed  down  by  the  mother  to 

the    daughter    from    generation    to    generation.      The 

girls  from  the  Salzkammergut,  in  their  dark  petticoats 

and  low-cut  bodices,  fastened  with  antique  silver  buttons, 

their  snow-white  muslin  kerchiefs  and  their  coquettish 

little  hats,  from  beneath  which  escape  their  long  braids, 

are  as  pretty  as  pictures.     They  wear  broad  necklaces 

<•<  >mposed  of  many  tiny  gold  chains,  with  here  and  there 

113  I 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

great  square  clasps  of  gold  filigree  studded  with  garnets, 
turquoises,  and  topazes. 

Then  there  are  the  Hungarian  women,  who  impart 
a  semi-Oriental  aspect  to  the  scene;  for,  like  the  Sla- 
vonians and  the  Croatians,  they  wear  robes  of  white 
linen  thickly  embroidered  with  many-hued  silks,  and 
fastened  around  the  waist  with  orange,  blue,  and  crim- 
son ribbons,  while  the  scarlet  silk  handkerchiefs  so  deftly 
wound  round  their  dusky  tresses  remind  one  involun- 
tarily of  the  Turkish  fez,  and  the  ponderous  rows  of 
huge  coral  and  amber  beads  encircling  their  necks  recall 
the  ornaments  so  dear  to  harem  women. 

The  statue  of  the  Holy  Virgin  of  Maria-Zell  is  literally 
covered  with  priceless  jewels,  which  have  been  offered 
ex  voto  by  wealthy  pilgrims.  On  her  head  glitters  a 
diadem  of  gigantic  rubies  and  diamonds,  ropes  upon 
ropes  of  softly  gleaming  pearls  encircle  her  neck  and 
her  waist,  rings  set  with  sparkling  gems  adorn  her 
fingers  and  even  her  toes,  while  her  cloth-of-silver 
robe  is  loaded  with  streams  of  sapphires,  clusters  of 
emeralds,  and  rivieres  of  diamonds.  Indeed,  the  statue 
bears  striking  evidence  of  the  fact  that  there  are  no 
more  popular  saints  in  Austria  than  St.  George  and 
Our  Lady  of  Maria-Zell. 

Another  very  serious  accident  occurred  to  the  Em- 
press during  a  summer  which  she  spent  in  Normandy, 
near  the  Petites-Dalles,  where  she  had  rented  Monsieur 
Perquer's  charming  little  chateau  of  Sassetot.  She  used 
to  take  long  rides  along  the  picturesque  shore,  and 
sometimes  even  into  neighbouring  Brittany,  where  I 
was  at  the  time  spending  the  summer,  and  where  we 
used  to  undertake  long  excursions  together.  One  day, 
in  riding  home  to  Sassetot,  Elizabeth  attempted  to 
jump  one  of  those  treacherous  walls  made  of  loose  pieces 

114 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

of  rock,  which  surround  the  fields  of  the  Breton  and 
Normandy  peasants.  The  top  stones  gave  way  under 
the  horse's  feet,  for  the  animal  had  jumped  short, 
and  the  Empress  was  precipitated  to  the  ground  with 
extreme  violence.  She  was  riding  alone  on  that  day, 
and  remained  lying  there,  in  a  dead  faint,  until  some 
labourers  returning  from  their  work  found  her,  and 
recognizing  in  her  the  benefactress  who  had  so  often 
come  to  their  assistance  in  moments  of  need,  they  carried 
her  between  them,  with  the  utmost  gentleness,  to  her 
home.  The  Emperor  was  immediately  advised  by 
telegraph  of  the  accident,  and  hastened  to  his  wife's 
bedside  as  fast  as  steam  could  take  him.  Of  course  he 
preserved  the  strictest  incognito,  and  nobody,  excepting 
the  immediate  entourage  and  Marechal  MacMahon,  who 
was  then  President  of  the  French  Kepublic,  knew  of 
his  having  visited  France.  Fortunately  the  Empress's 
condition  soon  ceased  to  give  reason  for  alarm,  and  he 
was  enabled  to  return  speedily  to  Vienna  without  his 
presence  having  been  betrayed  to  any  one. 

To  the  peculiarly  poetically  inclined  and  ideal-loving 
Empress,  Brittany  was  sure  to  become  very  dear,  for  it  is 
par  excellence  a  land  of  old  legends,  of  primitive  habits,  a 
land  which  is  still,  with  but  few  alterations,  just  what 
it  used  to  be  in  the  time  of  the  Feudality.     The  small, 
quaint  old  Breton  towns  are  exactly  to-day  what  they 
were  six  hundred  years  ago,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
ill-burning  lamps,  serving  only  to  emphasize  the  dark- 
ness of  the  streets  at  night,  and  some  funny-looking 
low-ceiled    shops     containing     the     queerest     possible 
assemblage  of  superb  antiquities   and  hideous   modern 
articles  cle  Paris.     They  are  still   surrounded  by  thick 
bastioned   and    crenelated   walls,   and   by  moats   where 
wild   ducks   swim   about   on  the   lentil-covered   muddy 

115 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

water,  and  are  entered  by  drawbridges  just  as  when,  at 
the  end  of  the  fourteenth  century,  Duguesclin  passed 
through  them  at  the  head  of  his  victorious  armies. 
The  streets  are  narrow  and  ill-paved,  and  the  sidewalks, 
narrower  still,  are  completely  moss-grown,  and  look  like 
borders  of  green  velvet  set  before  the  high  facades  of 
the  elaborately  carved  granite  houses. 

Summer  and  winter  Brittany  is  a  world  of  flowers, 
for  the  climate  is  so  mild  that  there  are  wild  stocks 
blooming  in  the  crevices  of  the  old  walls,  and  on  the 
wide  window-sills  of  almost  every  house,  pots  of  basilica, 
geraniums,  and  fuchsias,  which  even  in  midwinter  make 
lovely  blotches  of  colour,  and  are  like  the  smiles  of 
these  aged  buildings.  During  the  summer  the  sky, 
although  a  little  hazy,  as  it  invariably  is  on  the  old 
Armorican  coast,  is  as  blue  as  an  angel's  gaze — so,  at 
least,  the  ancient  Breton  ballad  terms  it.  At  sundown 
softly  tinted  clouds,  like  the  flying  petals  of  a  gigantic 
rose,  float  above  the  sea.  The  fields  are  all  abloom 
with  almond-scented  white  sarrazin,  crimson  clover,  and 
yellow  colza,  while  on  the  heath  the  furze  and  broom 
burst  into  countless  buds,  and  form  a  sea  of  fragrant 
gold  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  sheltering  under  their 
shaggy  branches  a  perfect  carpet  of  pink  heather. 

The  Empress  confided  to  me  her  desire  to  spend 
some  days  in  the  wildest  portion  of  the  Morbihan,  not 
far  from  Cape  Finisterre.  She  had  heard  of  the  place 
as  being  especially  lonely,  and  knowing  that  there  was  on 
the  rugged  cliffs  a  half-ruined  old  castle  which  belonged 
to  one  of  my  relatives,  she  urged  me  to  arrange  this  little 
fugue,  which  would  be  shared  by  none  besides  ourselves, 
and  four  of  her  old  servants  and  of  mine. 

A  few  days  after  she  had  made   this   proposal  the 

inhabitants  of  the  hamlet  of  K were  surprised  out 

116 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

of  their  usual  tranquillity  by  seeing  a  travelling  carriage 
stop   before   the   crumbling   portals  of  the   chateau  de 

X ,  which  had  not  been  inhabited  for  many  a  long 

year.  This  chateau  is  situated  in  one  of  the  grandest 
and  most  savage  regions  of  Brittany,  far  from  any 
railroad,  surrounded  by  barren  landes,  and  possessed  of 
nothing  which  could  attract  any  ordinary  globe-trotter. 

To  be  truthful,  X is  not  the  place  to  inspire  cheerful 

thoughts.  Its  loneliness,  its  storms,  its  poverty,  are 
not  of  a  nature  to  make  one  feel  particularly  jolly,  but 
it  is  there,  perhaps,  that  one  can  best  judge  this  curious 
and  mystical  country.  The  castle — or  rather  what 
remains  of  it — faces  the  greenish,  dangerous-looking 
sea,  and  its  ivy  and  moss-grown  towers  are  backed  by 
wind-tortured  pines  and  cork-oaks.  Farther  away,  on 
the  table-land,  there  are  delightfully  green  nooks,  great 
woods — almost  forests — where  a  wealth  of  delicate  ferns 
and  exquisite   wild   flowers  conceal   themselves   in   the 

deep,   fragrant   shadow,  but  X itself  is  very  grim 

and  bleak,  and  strangely  out  of  keeping  with  the 
effeminate  and  luxury-loving  period  in  which  we  live. 

When  we  arrived  there  it  was  noun-day,  there  was 
no  sun,  and  a  heavy  wrack  of  copper-coloured  clouds 
was  sweeping  up  from  the  north.  The  sea  was  high  and 
moaning  loudly  as  it  surged  around  the  gaunt  rocks  in 
its  utter  abandonment,  the  partially  ruined  castle  had 
a  desolate  aspect,  and  a  fear  seized  me  that  Elizabeth 
would  speedily  regret  her  desire  to  become  more 
intimately  acquainted  with  this  strange  part  of  the 
world.  I  was  soon  reassured,  however,  by  seeing  her 
making  the  best  of  everything,  laughing  and  talking 
away  as  if  she  were  about  to  enter  a  perfect  Eldorado. 
As  we  walked  up  the  broken  stone  steps  and  passed 
into    the    grand    and    solitary    chambers — gloomy    and 

117 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

cheerless,  with  the  wind  beating  at  the  big  iron-barred 
casements  through  which  the  gray  light  from  without 
was  casting  a  dull  gleam  on  the  furniture,  which  was 
just  as  Breton  as  Breton  could  be — I  watched  her  slender, 
almost  girlish  figure  with  astonishment  and  delight. 

Any  other  petted  woman  of  the  world  would  have 
recoiled  before  such  a  picture  of  comfortlessness.  Not 
so,  however,  the  Empress,  who  walked  to  one  of  the 
high  windows  and  looked  out  on  the  rock-strewn  strip 
of  sand  that  parted  the  castle  from  the  angry-looking 
sea,  shrouded  in  gray  fogs,  the  waves  rolling  heavily 
with  a  deep,  desolate  roar  upon  the  narrow  beach 
between  two  encircling  lines  of  jagged  cliffs. 

"  This  is  splendid,"  said  she,  turning  to  me  with  eyes 
beaming  like  twin  stars ;  "  what  a  dear,  queer  old  place, 
and  how  very  romantic !  I  am  expecting  every  minute 
to  see  a  '  Farfadet '  or  a  '  Kourigan ' — that  is  what  you 
call  your  familiar  spirits  here,  don't  you  ? — come  dancing 
towards  me." 

"  How  good  you  are  { "  I  exclaimed.  "  How  on  earth 
do  you  manage  to  keep  up  your  spirits  in  this  way,  to 
always  see  the  bright  side  of  things?  I  am  sure  that 
although  I  am  a  daughter  of  this  rugged  soil,  I  feel  just 
about  as  Crusoe  did  when  he  was  cast  upon  his  desert 
island." 

We  looked  at  each  other  for  a  minute  and  then 
suddenly  burst  into  uncontrollable  laughter.  Attracted 
by  these  extraordinary  peals  of  merriment,  the  servants, 

who  very  justly  thought  that  probably  X was  hardly 

the  place  for  elaborate  court  etiquette,  came  running  in, 
and  could  hardly  refrain  from  beginning  to  laugh  too. 

"  Good  heavens !  "  said  the  Empress,  as  soon  as  she 
could  manage  to  recover  her  breath,  "  what  in  the  name 
of  wonder  are  we  all  laughing  about  ?  " 

118 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

This  remark  did  not  tend  to  diminish  our  hilarity,  so 
that  the  first  moments  of  our  visit,  which  I  had  begun 
to  dread  for  Elizabeth,  began  in  the  most  cheerful 
fashion  possible. 

Amusements,  in  the  general  acceptance  of  the  term, 
there  were  of  course  none,  for  there  was  not  much  to 
see  excepting  a  few  peasant-women  wearing  the  prim 
national  costume  and  Avhite  cap  of  Brittany,  as  they 
sat  knitting  or  mending  nets  on  their  door-steps  in  the 
little  hamlet  below  the  northern  cliff.  Out  on  the 
lanclcs  lean  cows  and  brown  sheep  were  driven  by  bare- 
footed urchins  through  the  short,  salted  grass,  while 
far  away  at  sea  the  sardine  fishing-boats  with  their 
rough,  red  sails  tacked  to  and  fro  wellnigh  at  all  hours 
of  the  night  and  day. 

We  rode  and  drove  and  walked  a  good  deal,  and  also 
went  out  upon  the  sea  to  witness  the  exploits  of  the 
sardine  catchers.  The  fishing  and  preserving  of  these 
dainty  little  silvery  morsels  is  one  of  Brittany's  greatest 
and  most  interesting  industries.  For  this  purpose  we 
hired  one  of  the  ordinary  strong,  staunch  fishermen's  boats. 

There  was  one  nook  in  the  old  castle  of  which  we 
both  became  very  fond.  It  was  perhaps  the  best 
preserved  portion  of  the  great  pile  of  buildings,  and 
was  filled  with  memories  of  a  glorious  past — a  past 
when  faith  was  of  more  importance  to  the  honest-hearted, 
simple-minded  inhabitants  than  fame,  and  when  they 
used  to  lavish  the  best  of  all  they  possessed  upon  the 
altars  consecrated  by  their  religion.  It  was  the  private 
chapel  of  the  chateau.  Every  day  we  brought  back 
from  our  rambles  quantities  of  flowers  with  which  to 
adorn  the  little  sacred  edifice. 

A  few  nights  after  our  arrival  something  occurred 
there  which  I  will  never  forget.     We  had  dined  late, 

119 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

and  very  simply,  off  some  thoroughly  Breton  dishes, 
and  we  were  standing  before  a  bright  fire  of  faggots, 
kindled  for  us  in  the  apartment — which,  although  much 
deteriorated,  was  the  most  comfortable  of  all  the  partly 
dismantled  suite,  and  served  us  as  a  kind  of  sitting-room 
— when  suddenly  the  Empress  linked  her  arm  into  mine, 
and  led  me  through  the  long  gallery  of  the  northern 
wing  to  the  little  low  postern-door  which  opened  into 
the  chapel. 

The  small  sanctuary  was  dark,  excepting  where  an 
eternally  burning  lamp  shone  in  front  of  the  altar,  and 
where  some  stray  moonbeams  pierced  the  stained  windows 
of  the  right  aisle  and  threw  patches  of  dim  colour  upon 
the  worn  mosaic  floor.  We  gazed  about  us,  glancing 
reverently  at  the  carved  mailed  figure  of  an  ancestor 
of  mine  who  had  died  fighting  beside  Duguesclin  in 
1364,  and  whose  tall  form  we  could  just  discern  as  he 
lay  at  rest,  with  his  gauntleted  hands  clasped  on  the 
handle  of  a  terrible-looking  sword. 

Kneeling  down,  the  Empress  began  to  pray,  the  Latin 
words  echoing  strangely  under  the  empty,  sonorous  stone 
vaults  above.  The  smell  of  some  white  roses  which 
we  had  placed  that  day  at  the  foot  of  a  marvellously 
beautiful  statue  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  floated  towards 
us,  and  a  little  shudder  of  awe  ran  between  my  shoulders. 
I  felt  my  hand  being  grasped  by  the  Empress,  and  as 
she  held  it  in  hers  she  whispered  : 

"  These  have  been  happy  days.  In  remembrance  of 
them  you  must  wear  this  ring,  which  has  never  left 
me  for  many  and  many  a  year.  It  will  also  remind 
you,  if  ever  we  are  separated,  for  good  and  all,  that  you 
have  been  very  dear  to  me,  and  that  I  have  valued 
your  sympathy  and  friendship,  as  well  as  your  devotion, 
more  than  I  can  express." 

120 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Hot  tears  rose  to  my  eyes,  and  with  the  hand  upon 
which  she  had  just  slipped  the  sparkling,  scintillating, 
square-shaped  diamond — which  I  have  ever  worn  since 
that  night — I  raised  her  own  slender  fingers  to  my  lips 
and  kissed  them  tenderly  and  reverently. 

When  we  went  back  that  night  to  our  rooms,  Eliza- 
beth stood  for  a  moment  musingly  before  the  high  stone 
mantel-piece  of  her  sleeping-apartment,  whereon  were 
carved  the  two  following  lines : 

"  Un  chevalier,  n'cn  doutez  pas, 
Doit  ferir  haut  et  parler  bas." 

"Those  were  times,"  she  said,  "when  it  was  worth 
while  to  live.  The  days  of  chivalry  have  always  had  a 
singular  charm  for  me ;  all  seems  so  tame  and  tasteless 
in  this  nineteenth  century  of  ours.  But  here  at  least, 
within  these  thick,  gray  walls,  one  can  imagine  what  the 
existence  of  the  heroes  of  old  could  be,  and  that  is  why 

I  have  fallen  in  love  with  X .     Listen  now  to  the 

sound  of  the  wind  roaring  outside,  and  tell  me  if, 
with  a  little  imagination,  we  cannot  believe  that 
we  have  been  suddenly  transported  back  five  or  six 
centuries  ? 

I  turned  towards  the  window,  and  certainly  the  wild 
spectacle  of  the  boisterous,  stormy  night,  seen  from  the 
high  turret-chamber,  lent  itself  to  any  possible  imagin- 
ings. The  moon  was  ascending  rapidly  above  the  horizon 
line  amid  a  heaped-up  mass  of  inky  clouds,  and  the 
wind  was  rising  with  an  alarming  shriek  and  churning 
the  waters  into  froth.  Even  while  we  were  both  watching, 
the  waves  began  to  leap  in  menacing  fashion.  They 
rolled  in  like  high  water  walls,  crashing  against  the 
rocks  on  which  the  chateau  stood  as  if  they  were  about 
to  engulf  it,  and  when  they  retreated,  with  a  deafening 

121 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

roar,  they  scooped  out  deep  caverns  in  the  pebbly  shore 
with  a  noise  like  that  of  thunder. 

"  Dear  Lord,  there  will  be  mischief  at  sea  to-night," 
said  the  Empress,  sadly. 

"  Ah  yes ! "  T  replied ;  "  this  means  disaster  to  any 
ship  running  along  the  coast,  and  I  dare  say  we  will 
get  but  little  sleep  to-night  with  all  heaven  and  earth's 
artillery  thus  unchained  against  our  rock  fastness ! " 

"Never  mind,  you  selfish  child,"  quoth  Elizabeth, 
"  it  is  the  poor  sailors  who  are  to  be  pitied,  and  not  we 
who  are  cosily  established  here." 

I  glanced  with  a  slight  shrug  of  my  shoulders  at 
the  bare  stones  of  the  walls,  and  gave  a  little  cough  of 
derision  for  our  "  cosiness." 

A  wild  night;  a  night  that  would  play  with  men's 
lives  as  with  pieces  of  broken  match-wood.  The  wind 
rose  louder  and  louder  in  sudden  blasts,  swift  and  fierce, 
sweeping  over  the  phosphorescence  of  the  sea,  which 
shone  hungrily  and  cruelly,  eternal  power  speaking 
loudly  in  the  rushing  of  that  awful  storm. 

Towards  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  during  one  of 
those  uncanny  lulls  of  the  tempest,  which  seems  to  sink 
in  order  to  rise  again  in  deadlier  wrath,  there  echoed 
from  the  infuriated  ocean  the  piteous  signal  of  some 
perishing  vessel.  Before  it  had  been  repeated  the 
Empress  was  at  my  bedside,  looking  like  an  apparition 
in  her  long  white  night-robe,  which  was,  however,  no 
whiter  than  her  tremulous  face. 

"  Come  and  look !  "  she  exclaimed  ;  "  there  is  a  ship 
in  distress  there  beyond.     O  God !  what  can  we  do  ?  " 

The  day  was  breaking,  and  as  we  reached  the  window 
we  could  discern,  by  the  lurid,  dismal  light  of  the 
storm-tossed  morning  sky,  a  large  fishing-boat,  with 
her  sails  rent   away   and  her  masts  broken,  careening 

122 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OP  AN  EMPRESS 

between  the  monstrous  waves,  one  moment  lifted  on  a 
foaming  crest,  the  next  disappearing  into  the  trough  of 
the  sea,  like  a  wounded  bird  with  broken  wings,  driven 
at  the  mercy  of  the  tempest — this  fellow-reaper  of  death 
which  spares  neither  youth  nor  age,  and  hears  neither 
mother's  prayers  nor  childhood's  cry  ! 

For  a  moment  we  gazed  vacantly,  stupidly,  helplessly 
at  this  distressing  picture,  then  in  common  accord  we 
wrapped  about  us  what  garments  we  first  could  lay  our 
hands  upon,  rushed  down  the  long  corridors,  the  wide 
staircase,  and  after  struggling  with  the  outer  door, 
which  wellnigh  resisted  all  our  efforts,  we  found  our- 
selves in  the  open. 

Far  from  everywhere  and  everything,  from  coast- 
guard men  and  life-saving  station,  what  could  be  done 
to  help  those  unfortunate  fellow-creatures  in  their  dire 
peril?  Through  the  driving  spume  and  falling  spray 
we  vaguely  saw  the  blurred  forms  of  some  fisher-folk 
from  the  hamlet,  running  along  the  narrow  strip  of  sand 
towards  us,  but  of  what  assistance  could  even  they  be 
in  such  a  stress?  Eight  between  us  and  the  drifting, 
rudderless  vessel  the  jagged  teeth  of  a  line  of  reefs  shone 
black  and  threatening,  parting  the  waves  asunder  into 
yawning  gulfs.  The  pitiless  wind  was  tearing  at  our 
clothes  and  flinging  our  hair  across  our  eyes,  and  it  was 
almost  impossible  for  us  to  keep  our  footing;  yet  some- 
how or  other  we  managed  to  struggle  down  the  rugged 
path  hewn  in  the  cliff,  step  by  step,  clutching  to  the 
projections  of  the  live  rock  to  prevent  ourselves  from 
being  precipitated  headlong  upon  the  surf-splashed 
shingle  below. 

"Where  we  were  going  or  what  we  intended  to  do 
did  not  cross  our  troubled  minds ;  we  were  rushing  to 
the  rescue,  although  rescue  was  impossible  to  achieve ! 

123 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

At  last  we  reached  the  bottom  of  the  sloping  wall  of 
stone,  and  clinging  to  each  other  we  stopped,  breathless 
and  drenched,  buffeted  by  that  fearful,  howling  wind, 
our  eyes  fixed  upon  the  doomed  boat ;  and  as  we  looked 
the  end  came  !  One  huge  wave  dashed  over  her,  and 
flung  her  with  a  heart-rending  clamour  of  crushing, 
splitting,  wailing  horror  against  the  shining,  blackened 
shoals.  We  saw  some  dark  forms  washed  from  the  wreck 
into  the  yawning  abyss  of  the  boiling  seas,  a  few  human 
forms  that  would  soon  be  cast  up  against  the  bowlder- 
strewn  shore,  mangled,  bleeding,  and  lifeless. 

In  the  green,  whirling  waters  the  drowning  fishermen 
struggled  among  the  flotsam  and  jetsam  of  the  shattered 
boat.  With  a  sorrowful  cry  the  Empress  slipped  from 
my  hold  and  rushed  towards  the  retreating  breakers  that 
were  going  back  in  search  of  their  prey.  Instinctively 
I  bounded  after  her,  and  caught  her  firmly  around  the 
waist.  Full  of  pity  as  my  heart  was  for  the  unfortunate 
beings  dying  in  the  voracious  billows,  yet  I  was  not 
going  to  let  her  fly  into  danger  while  under  the  spell 
of  one  of  these  unhesitating  impulses  of  self-furgetfulness, 
of  which  I  knew  her  to  be  so  fully  capable.  Her  face 
was  deadly  pale,  her  eyes  shone  with  excitement,  and 
she  put  out  all  her  strength  to  free  herself  from  me. 
She  was  a  skilled  and  daring  swimmer,  and  although 
she  must  have  known  that  none  could  swim  those  seas 
and  live,  I  saw  that  she  was  going  to  attempt  it.  I,  too, 
put  out  my  strength,  and  we  struggled  for  a  brief  minute, 
until  what  between  the  force  of  the  wind  and  the 
shifting  sands  we  stood  upon,  we  fell  to  our  knees  just 
as  the  outer  edge  of  a  colossal  volume  of  water  came 
thundering  towards  us,  and  all  but  carried  us  both  into 
the  murderous  waste  of  the  Atlantic. 

When  we  rose  the  shelving,  broken  hull  of  the  bark 

124. 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

had  disappeared,  and  right  at  cur  feet  the  bodies  of  a 
boy  and  a  man  had  been  washed  up  by  the  big  wave 
and  left  there  dead,  as  we  at  first  supposed.  Our  servants, 
awakened  at  last  by  the  deafening  roar  of  the  hurricane, 
had  hurried  towards  us  by  the  longer  and  safer  path 
which  started  from  behind  the  castle,  and  they  bore 
the  two  sailors  away.  The  young  lad  was  clinging  with 
his  stiffened  arms  to  a  plank  whereon  was  inscribed 
in  white  lettering,  Marie-Stella,  the  name  of  the  wrecked 
vessel. 

Our  efforts  at  resuscitation  were  successful,  and  we 
were  very  happy  when,  after  two  hours  of  continuous 
toil,  we  found  that  we  had  brought  back  life  to  the  two 
poor  creatures  who,  it  appears  from  what  they  told  us 
later,  were  the  captain  and  owner  of  the  boat,  and  his 
son,  who  was  acting  as  mousse,  or  ship's  boy.     Before 

we  left  the  castle  of  X the  Empress  had  placed  in 

the  hands  of  the  amazed  and  overjoyed  patron  a  sufficient 
sum  of  money  to  purchase  a  new  fishing-smack,  thus 
saving  him  from  utter  and  hopeless  ruin. 

Elizabeth's  passionate  love  for  the  sea  was  not  dulled 
by  the  awful  spectacle  she  had  witnessed  on  that  eventful 
autumn  morning,  but  it  was  veiled  with  sadness  for  ever 
after.  Her  fearless  nature  never  dreaded  this  great 
destroyer,  and  she  used  often  to  say : 

"  The  waves  seem  to  draw  me  towards  them,  as  if 
they  knew  how  I  love  them ! "  She  never  forgot  the 
monstrous  Atlantic  rollers  which  dashed  themselves 
against  the  rugged  coasts  of  Brittany,  and  they  created 
such  an  impression  upon  her  that  she  often,  even  after 
years  had  elapsed,  alluded  to  them. 

Long  before  all  this  took  place,  when  returning  on 
board  her  yacht  from  the  island  of  Madeira,  she  had 
encountered  just  such  another  terrible  storm.     Her  yacht 

125 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

was  tossed  like  a  nutshell  upon  the  mountainous  waves, 
but  far  from  being  terrified  by  this,  the  Empress  insisted, 
in  spite  of  the  captain's  remonstrances  and  fears,  on 
being  tied  with  a  rope  to  the  mast,  in  order  that  she 
might  watch  the  fury  of  the  sea,  and  in  the  midst  of 
the  tumult  she  laughingly  exclaimed: 

"  How  many  more  times  must  I  declare  my  principles 
and  ideas  about  the  length  of  life  which  is  allotted  to 
each  of  us  ?  We  live  just  as  long  as  God  permits,  and 
if  I  have  been  intrusted  with  a  mission  here  below, 
Providence  will  protect  me  from  every  danger!" 

During  her  short  stay  in  Brittany  the  Empress  literally 
showered  kindnesses  upon  the  families  of  many  poor 
fishermen,  whose  thatch-roofed  huts  clustered  so  close 
to  the  cliffs  that  they  seemed  but  larger  birds'-nests 
clinging  to  the  rocks  for  protection  from  the  wind  and 
weather;  and  although  they  did  not  know  who  their 
benefactress  was,  they  soon  found  a  befitting  name  for 
her,  and  called  her  the  "  Queen  of  Mercy." 

While  staying  in  England  at  the  sea-side  resort  of 
Cromer,  in  July,  1887,  she  gave  one  of  these  proofs  of 
delicacy  of  heart  which  are  not  easily  forgotten  among 
the  humbler  classes.  She  was  walking  on  a  stormy 
morning  along  the  shore,  when  she  suddenly  caught 
sight  of  a  group  of  sailors  who  were  carrying  the  corpse 
of  a  drowned  man.  She  immediately  approached  and 
inquired  about  this  disaster,  and  was  told  that  the 
victim  was  a  poor  employe  of  the  railroad,  called  Walter 
Moules,  who  had  accidentally  met  with  his  death  in  the 
tossing  waters.  Hearing  that  the  man  was  married  and 
had  several  children,  without  a  minute's  delay  she  set 
off  for  his  humble  dwelling,  for  she  said  it  was  necessary 
that  somebody  should  warn  the  newly  made  widow  of 
the  terrible  misfortune  which  had  befallen  her  before 

126 


THE    MARTYRDOM    OF   AN"    EMPRESS 

the  sailors  brought  home  their  ghastly  burden.  The 
kindness  with  which  she  broke  the  awful  news  to  the 
poor  woman  was  a  marvel  of  delicate  tenderness,  and 
she  remained  with  her  until  the  body  of  the  drowned 
man  had  been  carried  into  the  little  cottage ;  then 
turning  to  the  bereaved  wife  she  said,  softly :  "  Pray  for 
the  soul  of  your  husband ;  I  shall  help  you,  in  so  far  as 
the  children  are  concerned,  as  much  as  I  can."  And 
then  she  rapidly  walked  away.  An  hour  later  one  of 
her  Majesty's  servants  brought  to  the  widow  a  pocket- 
book  containing  six  hundred  pounds  sterling,  which 
there  is  considered  a  very  large  sum  indeed. 

All  these  little  traits  which  I  now  relate  were  not 
known  among  the  public,  for  the  Empress  had  an  abso- 
lute dread  of  any  publicity  of  that  kind,  which  generally 
led  to  more  misinterpretations  of  her  actions. 

While  I  was  at  Vienna  it  was  learned  one  morning 
that  one  of  the  Empress's  maids  had  died  during  the 
night,  and  very  severe  comments  were  made  about  the 
fact  that  the  Empress  had  been  seen  riding  in  the  Prater 
on  the  very  same  afternoon.  It  was  not  told,  however, 
that  the  Kaiserin  had  spent  the  whole  of  the  previous 
night,  as  well  as  several  others  which  had  preceded  it, 
at  the  dying  woman's  bedside,  nursing  her  with  her  own 
hands  up  to  the  moment  when  she  breathed  her  last,  and 
that  it  was  only  when  death  had  stilled  her  sufferings 
that  Elizabeth,  who  was  in  sore  need  of  some  fresh  air 
and  of  some  change  of  scene,  had  gone  in  search  of  both 
in  the  less  frequented  parts  of  the  Prater. 

She  dried  the  tears  of  countless  wretches,  and  brought 
comfort  and  consolation  with  her  to  many  and  many 
a  stricken  home.  During  the  typhus  epidemic  which 
raged  in  the  Hernalser-Madchen-Institute  she  insisted 
upon  visiting  the  stricken   girls,  and  upon   personally 

127 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

encouraging  and  consoling  them,  quite  regardless  of  the 
danger  which  she  ran ;  and  when  cholera  and  small-pox 
made  their  appearance  at  Buda-Pesth,  she  accompanied 
the  Emperor,  who  was  obliged  to  go  there  for  the 
opening  of  the  delegations,  saying  that  the  moment 
of  danger  was  just  the  moment  when  she  should  be  by 
the  side  of  her  husband. 


128 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Doctor  Christomanos,  who  was  for  three  years  Greek 
reader  to  the  Empress,  but  whose  connection  with  the 
Court  terminated  in  1893,  wrote  soon  after  her  death 
the  following  description  of  her — a  description  so  pretty 
and  so  true  that  it  deserves  to  be  translated  word  for 
word  in  these  pages : 

"  When  I  was  presented  for  the  first  time  to  Empress 
Elizabeth,  it  was  in  the  summer  of  1890,  at  Castle  Lainz. 
I  was  requested  to  wait  for  her  in  the  gardens,  which 
were  a  mass  of  wonderful  blossoms  and  flowering  trees. 
1  had  never  seen  the  Empress,  and  knew  her  only  by 
her  photographs  and  portraits,  and  I  was,  I  must  confess, 
filled  with  emotion  at  the  idea  that  a  long-wished-for 
privilege  was  about  to  become  mine.  I  sat  on  a  bench 
under  a  great  tulip-tree,  my  heart  beating  with  nervous- 
ness, awaiting  her.  Suddenly,  without  a  sound  having 
heralded  her  approach,  she  stood  before  me — a  slender, 
black-clad  apparition.  She  held  in  one  hand  a  white 
umbrella  and  in  the  other  a  large  black  fan,  and  a 
charming  smile  of  welcome  played  upon  her  features. 
In  spite  of  the  fact  that  her  pictures  resembled  her  only 
as  a  paste-diamond  resembles  the  beautiful  gem  itself,  I 
knew  in  a  flash  that  it  was  indeed  the  Empress,  and  I 
felt  that  I  was  in  the  presence  of  the  most  exquisite  and 
perfect  creature  who  ever  assumed  the  human  form.  I 
murmured  a  few  sentences  concerning  the  honour  and 

129  K 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

happiness  which  were  mine  at  meeting  her — sentences 
so  clumsy  that  I  blush  even  now  when  remembering 
them ;  but  with  wonderful  kindness  she  helped  me  over 
these  first  few  moments  of  embarrassment  and  talked  to 
me  as  if  we  had  long  been  the  best  of  friends,  instead 
of  being,  she  a  great  sovereign,  and  I  a  poor,  humble, 
ordinary  mortal. 

"  I  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  have  been  near  the 
Empress  during  three  years  ;  I  have  seen  with  her  eyes 
the  beauty  of  nature  which  she  knew  so  well  how  to 
point  out  and  explain  to  me.  She  has  revealed  to  me 
a  greater  source  of  admiration  for  the  waves  and  for 
the  mountains,  for  the  forests  and  for  the  large,  undu- 
lating plains;  she  has  made  me  feel  also  the  natural 
tie  that  binds  the  truly  pure  and  lofty  spirits  of  some 
few  privileged  beings,  the  tie  of  a  common  love  for 
flowers  and  melody,  and  the  glories  of  nature  in  general. 
Before  I  knew  her  I  had  never  fully  comprehended 
the  grand  infinity  of  the  ocean,  the  deep  azure  of  a 
summer  sky,  the  wonderful  rhythm  of  poetry,  and  the 
intense  charm  of  music.  It  is  enough  happiness  for  one 
life  to  have  been  permitted  to  bask  in  the  sunshine  of 
her  presence.  Her  subjects  did  not  know  her  and 
never  did  her  justice,  for  when  one  is  as  perfect  as  she 
was,  one  is  sure  to  be  misunderstood.  Indeed  a  throne 
seems  but  a  lowly  footstool  to  bear  such  perfect,  angelic 
womanhood!  She  herself,  though,  chided  me  when  I 
thus  expressed  myself  in  her  presence,  and  told  me  that 
she  considered  some  parts  of  her  duties  as  a  sovereign 
very  dear  to  her,  nay,  almost  sacred.  She  proved  that 
this  was  the  case  by  bending  all  her  efforts  upon  reliev- 
ing misery  and  planning  out  new  ways  of  helping  the 
poor  and  the  afflicted  throughout  the  vast  realms  of  her 
consort's   empire.     She   was   a   queen  of  grace   and  of 

130 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

soulful  consideration  and  kindness.     Pageant,  pomp,  and 
ceremony  she  did  not  like,  and  when  she  consented  to 
deck  herself  with  the  insignia  of  her  lofty  rank  she  was 
not  made  any  more  beautiful  by  this  priceless  display 
of  jewels,  for  the  precious  stones  themselves  seemed  to 
gather  their  magnificence  and  their  dazzling  loveliness 
from  their  being  placed  in  contact  with  her.     Of  a  truth, 
she  belonged  more  to  a  sphere  of  angels  than  to  that  of 
the  children  of  men,  who  live  in  cities  and  shun  all  that 
is  true  and  pure  in  unblemished  nature.     When  I  used 
to   see   her   dainty,   delicate    figure    standing    on   some 
mountain  peak  she  reminded  me  of  a  slender  cypress 
swaying  above  a  cemetery  of  spirits,  and  surrounded  by 
the  golden  radiance  of  everlasting  sunlight !     How  young 
she  still  seemed — she  who  was  already  a  grandmother! 
How  clear  and  pure  were  the  great  eyes  which  revealed 
at  times  the  touching  simplicity  of  a  child's  soul — those 
eyes  which  in  the  valleys  of  this  sad  world  of  ours  have 
shed   so   many   bitter   tears !      Wherever   she   went  she 
aroused    enthusiasm ;    the    peasants    of    the    village    of 
Gasturi,   on   Corfu,   where    she    built    her    magnificent 
palace  dedicated  to  Achilles,  used  to  kneel  before  her 
in  the  dust  when  she  approached,  calling  aloud  in  their 
melodious   language :   '  O   Queen   of  Beauty,  may  God 
bless  thy  every  step ! '     All  heads  were  uncovered  when 
she  passed,  and  the  children,  who  watched  for  her  coming, 
would  run  towards  her  with  their  hands  full  of  blossoming 
orange   and   almond    boughs.      She    adored    everything 
that   was   beautiful,  and  one  day  when,  in  Madeira,  a 
strikingly  handsome  peasant  girl  with  amber  skin,  coral 
lips,  and  raven-black  hair  presented  her  with  a  cluster 
of   crimson    camellias,   she   gave   her   a   piece   of  gold, 
saying  to  me  afterwards,  'That  is  a  cheap  price  to  pay 
for  gazing  on  such  perfection  of  form  and  face.' 

131 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

"  Her  enthusiasm  for  poetry  and  for  music  was  plainly 
shown  by  her  profound  admiration  for  great  composers 
and  great  poets.  She  erected  a  monument  to  her 
favourite  '  bard,'  Heinrich  Heine,  in  the  gardens  of  Achil- 
leon,  and  it  is  there  that  she  used  to  go  and  gaze  at  the 
great  brilliant  stars  of  the  semi-Oriental  sky  shining 
though  a  net-work  of  silvery  olive-tree  branches. 

"  She  feared  not  death  ;  once  she  said  to  me  :  '  When 
the  love  of  life  has  forsaken  one,  Death  has  already  put 
his  cold  hand  on  one's  shoulder.'  Another  time,  when 
her  yacht  was  fighting  Avith  the  waves  which  break  on 
the  coast  of  Algeria,  she  remarked :  '  Are  you  ready  to 
die,  or  do  you  think,  like  so  many,  that  death  is  a  heroic 
action,  difficult  to  accomplish  well?  As  far  as  I  am 
concerned,  it  matters  but  little  to  me  how  and  when  I 
will  really  close  my  eyes  for  ever,  for  there  is  in  every 
earthly  career  a  moment  when  one  inwardly  dies,  and 
that  need  not  be  the  time  when  actual  death  takes  place. 
What  is  disagreeable  is  all  this  ceremony  which  surrounds 
our  parting  from  our  envelope  of  clay — a  ceremony 
which  the  ancient  Romans  abandoned  to  their  slaves. 
It  is  not  pleasant,  of  course,  to  watch  decrepitude  in 
its  advance  upon  us.  As  for  myself,  I  await  death  at 
any  moment,  and  you,  who  are  a  philosopher,  ought  to 
do  the  same.' 

"A  little  while  later,  however,  when  I  approached 
the  edge  of  a  precipice  towering  above  the  waves,  she 
laughingly  alluded  to  our  previous  conversation,  and 
said,  '  It  is  not  necessary  for  you  to  seek  a  poetical 
death,  it  is  enough  to  inwardly  die  a  fine  death.' 

"  I  could  not  but  admire  the  extraordinary  qualities 
of  this  sunny  soul,  which,  after  thus  familiarizing  itself 
with  the  greatest  enemy  of  mankind,  could  live  on,  at 
peace,   and  just   as  if  she  were  going  through  a  task 

132 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

which  she  loved  only  because  she  considered  it  in  the 
light  of  a  duty ! " 

The  Greek  teacher  of  the  Empress,  Mr.  Ehoussopoulos, 
who  also  several  times  accompanied  the  Empress  on  her 
travels,  although  he  does  not  express  himself  with  the 
same  poetical  flow  of  language  as  does  Doctor  Christo- 
manos,  yet  gives  some  very  interesting  and  touching 
details  about  her  Majesty's  attitude  under  a  great  many 
different  circumstances.  He  lays  great  stress  on  the 
fact  of  Elizabeth's  always  doing  her  best  to  make  those 
about  her  happy.  That  is  very  true  and  a  very  marked 
trait  of  this  golden-hearted  woman's  character,  and  one 
which  I  cannot  tire  of  mentioning.  She  could  not 
endure  to  see  any  one  suffer  even  the  slightest  pain 
or  vexation.  He  relates  that  shortly  after  the  marriage 
of  Marie-Valerie,  she  had  promised  to  give  him  a  photo- 
graph of  this  her  favourite  daughter,  in  her  wedding-dress. 
One  morning  she  brought  to  the  professor  ten  of  those 
pictures,  which  had  been  taken  in  various  attitudes,  and 
asked  him  to  select  one  of  them. 

"  The  choice  is  difficult,  your  Majesty,  for  they  are 
all  equally  lovely,"  replied  Rhoussopoulos. 

"  Then  you  had  better  keep  them  all,"  she  replied, 
smiling. 

In  the  spring  of  1890  the  Empress  went  to  Wiesbaden, 
accompanied  by  her  Greek  teacher,  and  during  her 
stay  there  used  to  keep  the  windows  of  her  villa  open 
clay  aud  night.  This  caused  the  professor  to  ask  her 
whether  she  was  as  fond  of  European  landscapes  as  of 
Oriental  ones,  and  whether  she  liked  to  travel  in 
Europe. 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  Empress,  "but  I  generally  prefer 
to  '  look  upon  Europe  in  profile,' "  meaning  thereby  that 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

she  liked  to  see  the  European  coasts  best  from  the  deck 
of  her  yacht. 

She  was  extremely  fond  of  Paris,  and  France  gene- 
rally, for  there  she  could  Avander  about  without  the  fear 
of  being  perpetually  annoyed  by  the  indelicacy  of  the 
people,  who  in  other  countries  crowded  around  her  to 
dog  her  slightest  step.  There  she  also  delighted  in 
meeting  her  sisters,  the  Queen  of  Naples  and  the  late 
Duchess  d'Alen^on.  Once  during  a  Avalk  in  the  Bois 
de  Boulogne  she  said  to  Professor  Khoussopoulos : 

"  How  I  used  to  love  my  rides  through  these  beautiful 
paths  !  I  would  never  have  believed  then  that  the  time 
would  come  when  I  would  walk  along  them  while  learn- 
ing Greek.  Still  there  is  always  one  charm  for  me  in 
Paris  which  nothing  can  efface — namely,  the  memory  of 
Napoleon  I.  What  a  great  man  he  was,  and  what  a  pity 
that  his  insatiable  ambition  should  have  led  him  to  seek 
an  imperial  throne." 

The  political  ideas  of  the  Empress,  declares  the 
professor,  were  extremely  broad.  She  said  to  him  on 
one  occasion: 

"Everybody  seems  to  think  that  a  Republican  form 
of  government  is  the  best,  and  my  teacher,  Count  Janos 
Majlath,  has  written  much  about  this.  Poor  Count 
Majlath  !  I  can  never  think  of  him  without  the  deepest 
sorrow,  remembering  the  terrible  death  he  sought, 
together  with  his  daughter,  in  this  same  lake  of 
Starnberg,  where  my  cousin  Louis  was  drowned.  But 
to  return  to  what  we  were  saying:  I  myself  must  say 
that,  theoretically  speaking,  a  republic  is  without  a 
doubt  the  most  reasonable  form  of  government,  but  in 
Austria  there  exist  so  many  different  races  and  popula- 
tions assembled  within  one  frontier  that  the  dynasty 
alone  can  form  the  link  to  hold  them  together.     And  so 

134 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AX  EMPRESS 

with  us,  monarchy,  it  seems  to  me,  should  always  be  the 
most  practical  plan  to  follow.  By-the-by,"  she  added, 
"you  seem  surprised  to  hear  me  talk  about  such  things. 
What  do  you  think  about  the  book  published  in  London 
at  the  end  of  the  fifties,  and  which  is  called  Blick  auf 
den  Anonymcn  Riiclcblick  ?  " 

This  was  a  book  which  had  been  strictly  proscribed 
in  Austria,  and  of  which  only  a  few  copies  had  been 
smuggled  into  the  country ;  it  is,  therefore,  easy  to 
imagine  the  degree  of  the  professor's  amazement  upon 
hearing  the  Empress  mention  it. 

"  Do  you  possess  that  book  ?  "  she  continued. 

"  It  is  forbidden  in  the  entire  monarchy,"  he  replied. 

"  That  is  not  what  I  asked  you ;  my  question  is, 
*  Do  you  possess  that  book  ?  ' " 

The  professor  remained  mute,  and  blushed  with  embar- 
rassment. The  sovereign  began  to  laugh,  and  having 
drawn  from  her  pocket  a  small  key,  she  unlocked  a  secret 
drawer  of  her  desk,  exclaiming  : 

"You  probably  imagine  that  I  have  never  read 
anything  of  the  kind,  so  now  see  here,"  and  she  handed 
to  him  half  a  dozen  volumes  and  pamphlets,  among 
which  was  The  Fall  and  Disintegration  of  Austria,  which 
was  published  soon  after  the  Austro-Prussian  war,  and 
which  created  at  the  time  a  tremendous  sensation,  for  the 
author  declared  therein  that  the  Hapsburg  Monarchy 
could  not  possibly  last  any  longer,  and  wrote  in  a  violent 
and  bloodthirsty  fashion  against  the  reigning  house.  It 
is  easy  to  understand  the  stupefaction  of  Professor 
Ehoussopoulos,  especially  when  her  Majesty  quietly 
remarked : 

"Do  you  know  who  was  the  author  of  this  book?" 

Of  course  the  professor  was  aware  that  the  name  of 
this  writer  was  Lang,  a  young  man  whose  father  was 

135 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

the  devoted  servant  of  Emperor  Franz-Joseph  ;  but  this 
was  all  the  more  reason  why  he  should  refuse  to  reveal 
to  Elizabeth  what  she  apparently  wanted  to  know. 

"  Oh,  I  see  ! "  laughed  the  Empress.  "  You  don't  know 
the  author,  but,  surely,  you  are  well  acquainted  with 
his  father ;  and  so  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  tell  you  that 
the  poor  old  man  has  never  been  and  will  never  be 
made  responsible  for  the  perhaps  a  little  too  advanced 
ideas  of  his  son." 

Moritz  Jokai,  in  his  beautifully  written  appreciation 
of  the  late  Empress,  which  appeared  in  print  a  week 
after  her  death,  says  : 

"She  was  the  ideal  woman,  as  wife  and  mother,  as 
beauty  and  queen.  Especially  was  she  admirable  as  a 
patient  sufferer,  '  mater  dolorosa  par  excellence.'  .  .  . 

"  The  woman  who  suffers  in  patience  is  only  second  to 
the  Divinity.  Like  her  son,  the  Crown-prince  Kudolph, 
she  was  a  fatalist.  She  trusted  to  fate.  Fear  she  never 
knew — neither  fear  of  man  nor  of  the  elements.  To  what 
extent  the  Queen  was  the  guardian  angel  of  Hungary, 
history  alone  can  show.  She  conversed  in  our  language 
with  a  purity  of  accent  and  a  choice  of  expression 
that  no  one  else  could  rival.  .  .  .  Many  distinguished 
Hungarians  might  with  advantage  have  taken  lessons 
from  her.  She  was  the  patroness  of  Hungarian  litera- 
ture, and  I  have  personally  much  cause  to  remember  her 
with  passionate  gratitude.  In  1889  the  Queen  graciously 
accepted  the  dedication  of  one  of  my  novels. 

"The  court  was  at  Of  en,  and  there  I  presented  her 
with  a  copy  of  my  work.  She  talked  to  me  for  a  long 
time  on  the  subject  of  our  literature,  displaying  great 
penetration  and  a  sound  critical  faculty  of  judgment. 
Just  as  I  was  going  to  take  my  leave  she  said : 

136 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

"'Wait  a  moment,  and  I  will  show  you  my  little 
daughter.'  She  opened  a  side  door  and  beckoned  to  a 
nurse  who  held  the  small  offshoot  of  royalty  on  a  lace 
pillow  in  her  arms. 

"  The  baby  was  Marie-Valerie.  The  Queen  took  her 
from  the  nurse  and  pressed  the  laughing  child's  cheek 
against  her  own.  That  was  the  most  beautiful  reward 
of  my  life.  And  now  it  is  all  over — such  infinite  grace, 
love,  and  exalted  feeling !  All  shut  away  in  a  coffin,  she 
rests  under  a  burden  of  wreaths  here  below,  but  her 
soul  is  floating,  untrammelled,  in  heaven.  No  longer 
does  the  dread  shadow  pursue  her — the  shadow  which 
drove  her  from  country  to  country.  At  last  her  great 
soul  has  met  that  other  soul  which,  dreaming  or  waking, 
she  never  could  forget.  ...  If  our  beloved  Queen  had 
drawn  her  last  breath  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  we  should 
have  then  covered  her  with  flowers  and  tears,  and  blessed 
her  resting-place,  and  she  would  have  vanished  from  our 
midst.  But  the  Queen  who  has  died  a  martyr's  death 
will  never  vanish;  her  spirit  will  hover  near  us  for  ever. 
When  storms  from  without  threaten  the  Fatherland, 
and  our  nation  is  torn  asunder  by  internal  feuds,  she 
will  show  us  her  bleeding  wound,  and  the  mouth  of  the 
wound  will  speak  to  us,  saying :  '  Love  the  Fatherland. 
Love  the  King.'     Pray  God  we  may  ! " 

The  Hungarians  are  talking  of  erecting  a  statue  of 
the  Empress  at  Ofen,  representing  her  on  horseback. 
This  would,  indeed,  be  a  splendid  idea,  for  not  only  did 
she  never  appear  to  better  advantage  than  when  in  the 
saddle,  but  also  the  Magyars  of  the  Puszta  saw  her  so 
very  often  riding  among  them  that  it  is  thus  that  they 
remember  her  best.  I  myself  can  conjure  her  up  most 
easily  in  my  dear  remembrance  of  her  as  the  graceful 

137 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

figure  beside  whom  I  rode  so  many  and  many  a  mile, 
our  horses  almost  touching  each  other,  our  enraptured 
eyes  scanning  together  the  endless  plains  or  the  rich 
grass  and  woodland  of  Hungary. 

How  well  I  recall  her  looks  and  actions  when  we 
rode  out  alone  to  witness  a  Tzigan  wedding,  late  one 
evening,  in  a  forest  near  Yemisar ! 

The  scene  which  we  witnessed  that  night  was  solemn 
and  weird  in  the  extreme.  It  was  illuminated  by  a 
huge  pile  of  flaming  pine-logs,  in  front  of  which,  with 
his  back  towards  the  fire,  stood  the  Vajda,  or  chief 
Zingaro,  draped  in  a  long  crimson  mantle,  holding  in 
his  hand  an  ebony  staff  with  a  silver  knob,  as  a  symbol 
of  his  dignity  and  autocratic  power.  The  authority  of 
this  personage  over  his  tribe  is  supreme,  even  to  life 
and  death.  It  is  he  who  performs  the  marriage,  birth, 
and  burial  ceremonies,  according  to  the  true  Zingaro 
rite,  for  although  thousands  of  the  Tzigans  have  nominally 
embraced  Christianity,  yet  they  still  remain  at  heart 
as  devoted  to  the  worship  of  fire  as  their  ancestors  who 
dwelt  on  the  slopes  of  the  Indian  Himalayas. 

Hand  in  hand  the  young  couple  stood  before  the 
flames,  under  the  drooping  branches  of  the  great  dark 
trees,  listening  reverently  to  the  solemn  words  of  the 
Vajda.  The  bridegroom  was  only  sixteen,  and  the  bride 
little  more  than  twelve — ages,  however,  corresponding, 
both  as  regards  physical  and  mental  development,  to 
about  twenty  and  sixteen  in  the  case  of  Europeans.  The 
handsome,  stalwart  boy,  clad  in  a  crimson  dolman  and 
dark  breeches,  high,  tasselled  boots  and  small  velvet  cap 
with  a  heron's  plume,  towered  head  and  shoulders  over 
his  tiny  dark-eyed  fiancee.  She  was  an  extremely  pretty 
creature,  this  graceful  girl,  and  her  scarlet  skirt  and 
bodice,  with  the  necklace  of  gold  sequins  which  glittered 

138 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

at  her  throat  and  in  her  dusky  braids,  set  off  her 
strange  beauty  wonderfully.  As  soon  as  the  Vajda  had 
concluded  his  address,  an  earthen  vessel  was  dashed  to 
pieces  on  the  ground  as  a  symbol  that  the  past  of  both 
young  people  had  come  to  an  end,  and  that  a  new  life 
was  beginning  for  them,  and  the  bridal  couple  were 
sprinkled  with  a  mixture  of  salt  and  brandy  for  the 
purpose  of  putting  to  flight  any  evil  spirits  that  might 
be  lurking  about  them.  Heavy  silver  rings  were  then 
exchanged,  and  after  the  Vajda  had  placed  his  hands  in 
token  of  blessing  over  their  bowed  heads,  the  youthful 
pair  were  regarded  as  duly  married,  and  received  the 
congratulations  of  their  relatives  and  of  the  numerous 
members  of  their  tribe. 

Shortly  afterwards  feasting  and  dancing  began — the 
latter  to  the  sound  of  that  enthralling  music  which 
the  Tzigans  draw  from  their  violins  and  cymbals.  It 
is  a  music  that  stirs  the  listener  to  the  utmost  limits 
of  terrestrial — nay,  one  might  say  almost  heavenly 
enthusiasm.  Its  exquisite  melodies  seem  to  penetrate 
the  very  marrow  of  one's  bones,  to  send  a  thrill  through 
the  entire  body,  and  to  raise  the  soul  far  above  earth. 
It  is  heard  nowhere  save  in  Hungary,  Itoumania,  and 
the  Balkans.  The  musicians  let  all  their  heart  go  out 
in  the  strains  of  their  perfect  instruments,  and  it  seems 
as  if  their  hearts  would  break  were  they  to  cease  these 
floods  of  enthralling  harmony. 

They  play  as  a  lark  carols — naturally,  passionately — 
bringing  one  through  all  the  phases  of  love,  of  pain,  of 
rapture,  until  every  nerve  tingles.  Then,  suddenly,  with 
one  deep,  plaintive  chord,  as  if  the  strings  were  rent 
asunder  in  a  last  sweet,  lingering  sigh,  they  are  silent, 
exhausted  by  the  plenitude  of  their  own  power. 

Nothing  can  give  an  idea  of  the  enthusiasm  they 

139 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

arouse.  I  have  seen  the  great  Liszt  himself  listen  to 
them  spellbound,  with  tears  falling  down  his  sunken, 
pallid  cheeks.  I  have  seen  spoiled  and  blase  men  of 
the  world  entranced  by  the  matchless  melodies  of  these 
artists  of  nature,  and  one  night,  in  the  Banat,  when  the 
stars  were  coming  out  one   by  one  in  the  clear  violet 

skies,   I   saw   Prince   Louis   E and  a  party  of  his 

guests  give  the  Tzigans,  who  had  been  playing  for  them, 
not  only  all  the  money  they  had  about  them,  but  their 
watches,  chains,  studs,  rings,  etc.,  the  women  taking  the 
jewels  from  their  fingers  and  the  flowers  from  their 
bosoms  to  fling  them  at  the  feet  of  the  dark-eyed 
musicians.  The  most  remarkable  thing  about  this  is 
that  the  Zingari  do  not  know  a  note  of  music.  They 
are  merely  the  interpreters  of  the  nightingales,  of 
nature's  own  sweetest  harmonies.  They  play  by  tradi- 
tion, because  music  is  in  their  souls,  and  because  they 
cannot  help  giving  utterance  to  it.  The  Hungarian 
bands,  styling  themselves  Tzigans,  and  hiring  themselves 
out  to  play  in  foreign  cities,  have  nothing  in  common 
with  the  Zingari  of  the  Piiszta.  The  former  are  pleasing 
to  hear,  well  taught  and  well  drilled,  but  they  are  only 
mechanical  nightingales  who  sing  for  money,  very 
different  from  the  free,  fiery,  and  untutored  artists  of 
the  great  southern  plains. 

The  dancing  of  the  Tzigans  also  in  no  way  resembles 
the  jerky  motion  which  we  are  wont  to  consider  the 
acme  of  terpsichorean  art.  It  is  poetical,  graceful,  and 
dignified,  and  at  the  same  time  coquettish  and  exquisite, 
especially  where  the  women  are  concerned.  In  fact, 
these  dances,  as  we  saw  them  on  many  a  night  in 
those  days,  are  a  mixture  of  the  wild  Hungarian 
Czardas,  the  Hindoo  Nautch,  and  the  stately  minuet  of 
bygone  days.     The  men   in  their    tight-fitting    attilas, 

140 


THE    MARTYRDOM    OF   AN    EMPRESS 

with  an  embroidered  dolman  hanging  from  the  left 
shoulder,  clatter  the  long  spurs  attached  to  their  boots, 
and  the  girls  move  with  that  swift  grace  inherent  in 
their  race,  making  up  a  beautiful  picture  as  they  wind 
their  way  in  and  out  of  the  intricate  mazes  of  this 
peculiar  but  charming  dance. 

Not  long  after  we  attended  the  Tzigan  wedding  I 
just  described,  we  became  the  involuntary  witnesses  in 
the  same  forest  glades  of  another  Tzigan  ceremony, 
which  may  be  regarded  as  a  kind  of  epilogue  to  the 
wedding  festivities,  for  it  illustrates  the  sanctity  with 
which  the  Zingari  regard  the  marriage  vows. 

One  evening  the  Empress  and  myself  rode  to  the 
Czikana,  or  camp,  belonging  to  the  great  Vajda,  Ferenzi- 
Janos,  but  found  it  deserted.  The  faint  sound  of  wailing 
voices  coming  from  the  pine-woods  in  the  distance, 
however,  attracted  our  attention,  and  guiding  our  horses 
cautiously  over  the  tangled  bracken  and  osniunda-bushes 
which  covered  the  ground,  we  soon  came  in  sight  of  a 
scene  which  I  shall  never  forget. 

The  moon  was  shining  brightly,  lighting  up  the  spot 
with  fairy-like  splendour.  All  around  the  pine-woods 
stretched  the  ruddy  glow  of  gypsy  fires,  flashing  between 
the  dark  boughs  and  throwing  a  crimson  gleam  on  a 
space  where  the  trees  had  been  cut  down.  There,  bound 
to  a  stake  like  a  prisoner  of  the  redskins,  was  a  woman, 
her  perfect  figure  clothed  in  nothing  but  her  raven 
tresses.  Her  great  black  eyes  had  an  agonized  look  in 
them,  and  blood  was  dropping  from  four  incisions  made 
with  some  sharp  instrument  in  her  shapely  arms  and 
limbs.  Surrounding  her  was  the  entire  tribe — men, 
women,  and  children — chanting  a  kind  of  sinister 
invocation,  while  towering  over  the  victim  was  the 
majestic  form  of  the  Vajda,  still  holding  in  his  clenched 

141 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

hand  the  leather  thono;  with  which  he  had  been  chas- 
tising  her  mercilessly.  With  a  cry  of  dismay  we  both 
sprang  from  our  saddles,  and  scattering  the  crowd, 
rushed  towards  him. 

'What  do  you  mean,  Janos  Ferenzi?"  cried  her 
Majesty,  clutching  his  arm.  "  What  has  this  unfortunate 
woman  done  that  you  should  treat  her  thus?" 

The  noble  face  of  the  Vajda,  which  at  first  had 
expressed  nothing  but  astonishment  at  our  unexpected 
appearance,  now  assumed  a  look  of  dignity  and  of 
sadness  which  I,  for  one,  had  never  seen  there  before. 

"  There  has  been  love,  and  of  the  love  sin,  and  of 
the  sin  a  curse  would  come  upon  my  tribe  were  it  not 
punished,"  he  said,  solemnly.  "  This  woman  has  betrayed 
the  man  to  whom  she  was  in  honour  bound.  I,  Ferenzi- 
Janos,  must  avenge  the  disgrace  inflicted  on  one  of  my 
people.  Her  woe  was  wrought  by  her  own  hand,  and 
she  must  eat  the  fruits  of  her  crime." 

The  words  fell  slowly  and  mournfully  on  the  silence 
of  the  night,  troubled  only  by  the  river  waves  beating, 
with  a  dull  murmur,  against  the  rocks  fifty  feet  below, 
and  by  the  soughing  of  the  wind  which  had  arisen. 
Ferenzi-Janos  was  indeed  in  his  own  eyes,  and  in  those 
of  his  people,  a  judge  and  an  avenger.  In  vain  did  we 
try  to  plead  and  argue  in  behalf  of  the  woman.  He 
remained  immovable,  quietly  but  firmly  refusing  to 
grant  even  an  imperial  request. 

"Nothing  can  help  the  culprit,"  he  said.  "For 
twenty-four  hours  must  she  remain  at  the  stake,  and  then 
she  will  become  a  wanderer  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 
The  incisions  you  see  are  the  signs  of  her  degradation, 
and  no  tribe  will  ever  allow  her  to  rest  in  its  midst. 
Believe  me,"  he  added,  "we  are  only  just.  We  warn 
our  women  of  what  awaits  them  should  they  sin.     It  is 

142 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

for  them  to  keep  themselves  pure.  Moreover,  you  have 
been  our  friends  and  you  will  not  betray  us,  because  in 
your  heart  you  know  that  this  punishment  is  well 
deserved." 

What  could  either  of  us  argue  against  such  reasoning  ? 
We  exerted  ourselves  so  much  in  her  behalf,  nevertheless, 
that  at  last  the  miserable  woman  was  unbound  and  sent 
out  of  the  camp  that  night  instead  of  being  left  at  the 
stake  until  the  following  sundown.  This  was  a  great 
concession  on  the  part  of  Ferenzi-Janos,  and  seemed  to 
fill  his  people  with  astonishment.  I  need  hardly  add 
that  through  the  Empress's  care  the  wretched  woman 
found  a  home  on  one  of  the  royal  estates,  where  I 
have  reason  to  believe  she  remains  to  the  present  day. 
The  impression  made  upon  us  by  this  incident  was  a 
lasting  one,  and  often  did  we  talk  together  of  the  wild, 
weird  scene  of  the  forest  of  Yemisar. 

One  thing  which  always  struck  me  about  my  Tzigan 
friends  is  the  nobility  of  their  demeanour.  They  all 
seem  to  be  born  aristocrats,  so  dignified  and  impressive 
is  their  bearing  under  all  circumstances.  I  think  that 
I  can  describe  them  as  staunch  monarchists,  for  they  are 
exceedingly  loyal  to  their  Vajdas,  and  to  their  Queen, 
wandering  majesty  though  she  is,  living  in  canvas  tents 
wherever  her  fancy  may  lead  her. 

The  Zingari  whom  one  meets  in  cities  are  degenerates, 
and  cannot  give  any  idea  of  what  the  free-born  child  of 
the  Puszta  is  like.  To  know  the  latter  well,  it  is 
necessary  to  visit  their  picturesque  settlements  on  the 
plains,  or  in  the  dense  pine  forests  which  here  and  there 
break  the  monotony  of  the  boundless  grass  land  of  the 
country  of  their  adoption.  It  is  difficult  to  win  their 
confidence,  or  to  secure  a  welcome  to  their  camps,  and 
many    savants    who    in    the    interests    of   science   have 

143 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

desired  to  study  their  mode  of  life  have  been  discouraged 
from  so  doing  by  the  icy  barrier  of  disdain  and  mistrust 
which  this  still  half-savage  people  seem  determined  to 
place  in  their  way. 

As  far  as  I  am  personally  concerned,  I  found  no 
trouble  in  making  friends  with  them,  a  fact  due  perhaps 
to  a  service  which  I  had  been  able  once  to  render  to 
the  tribe  of  Ferenzi-Janos  under  somewhat  singular 
circumstances.  I  am  sure  that  I  found  them,  especially 
after  I  had  taken  the  pains  to  acquire  some  knowledge 
of  the  Romany  language,  firm  and  reliable  friends,  ready 
to  stick  to  one  through  thick  and  thin  in  unswerving 
allegiance.  They  showed  me  complete  trust,  revealing 
to  me  many  of  their  secrets  with  absolute  sincerity  and 
truthfulness. 

No  one  who  has  seen  so  much  of  them  as  I  have 
can  do  otherwise  than  endorse  Grellmann's  theory  con- 
cerning the  Hindoo  origin  of  this  remarkable  people. 
The  two  languages  are  very  similar ;  for  instance, 
in  Hindustani  the  word  snow  is  "hinia,"  and  the  word 
bearer,  "laya,"  while  in  Romany  the  words  are  "him" 
and  "  loya."  In  both  languages  "  himalaya  "  means  "  the 
bearer  of  snow."  Many  other  proofs  might  be  given  as 
to  the  certainty  of  the  fact  that  the  Himalayan  slopes 
were  the  original  home  of  all  the  gypsies  previous  to 
the  year  1417,  when  they  made  their  first  appearance 
in  Europe.  The  religion  has  remained  almost  entirely 
that  of  fire-worshippers.  The  earth,  which  they  call 
"  phno,"  has,  according  to  them,  existed  from  all  eternity, 
and  is  the  origin  of  everything  that  is  good,  because  a 
raging  and  undying  fire  burns  in  its  bowels.  Their 
god  is  named  "Devel,"  and  their  devil  "Beng."  They 
fear  both,  and  curse  both  freely  when  some  misfortune 
reaches  them.     Their  most  solemn  oath  is  to  swear  by 

144 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

the  dead,  an  oath  which  it  is  the  direst  dishonour  to* 
break.  But  in  spite  of  this  they  do  not  believe  in  an 
after-life.  They  have  no  word  for  paradise  and  none  for 
heaven,  although  they  sometimes  talk  of  a  region 
inhabited  by  devils,  a  "beng-ipe"  (demon's  home). 

It  is  a  great  mistake  to  imagine  that  the  Tzigans 
pride  themselves  on  the  possession  of  the  powers  of 
divination  and  even  witchcraft  with  which  they  are 
popularly  credited.  On  the  contrary,  they  ridicule  the 
belief. 

Late  one  afternoon  my  imperial  friend  and  I  happened 
to  be  riding  home  through  a  cihcmia,  where  I  often  had 
been  alone  before.  We  stopped  to  talk  to  a  beautiful 
young  Zingaro,  with  whom  I  was  acquainted.  A  wild, 
handsome  girl  she  looked,  with  a  scarlet  hood  thrown 
over  her  jetty  hair,  and  her  glittering  eyes  gazing  into 
the  darkening  heavens,  where  the  crescent  of  the  new 
moon  was  rising. 

"  Tell  me  my  fortune,  Kevicta !  "  suddenly  exclaimed 
her  Majesty,  holding  out  her  open  hand  to  her.  The 
glow  of  the  camp-fire  was  bright  enough  for  her  to  read 
the  lines  of  the  delicate  palm,  which  she  took  between 
her  brown  and  shapely  fingers.  For  a  moment  she 
remained  silent,  looking  up  with  surprise  into  the  lovely 
face  above  hers. 

'You  want  me  to  prophesy  for  you?  You  want  to 
hear  what  Eevicta,  the  daughter  of  the  flames,  can  say 
about  your  future?"  half  chanted  she,  in  that  peculiarly 
monotonous  recitative  of  the  gypsy.  "  Ah  !  in  the  past 
and  in  the  present  lie  the  seed  to  bear  fruit  in  the 
future,"  continued  the  girl,  speaking  now  in  Czeschen. 
''  Eevicta  can  say  only  that  which  she  sees.  She  cannot 
lie  to  a  friend  of  her  tribe.  True  Romanies  do  not  believe 
in  fortune-telling.    It  is  good  enough  for  the  non-gypsies 

145  L 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

to  do  so.  To  you  I  cannot  tell  what  I  do  not  know, 
even  for  gold." 

The  words  fell  gently  from  her  lips.  She  dropped 
the  Empress's  hand,  and  with  a  queenly  inclination  of 
her  proud  head  she  turned  away,  and  walked  softly 
towards  her  tent,  moving  noiselessly  on  the  smooth 
greensward. 

As  for  myself,  I  never  believed  much  in  predictions  of 
any  kind,  nor  in  visions  either,  and  I  smiled  contentedly 
upon  hearing  Eevicta's  assertion ;  yet,  strangely  enough, 
I  had  once  a  vision,  and  about  the  Empress,  too,  which 
came  back  very  vividly  to  me,  and  very  painfully  as 
well,  after  her  assassination. 

The  circumstance  to  which  I  am  now  alluding  took 
place  during  the  late  autumn  of  the  year  when  I  spent 

a  few  days  at  the  old  chateau  of  X ,  on  the  Breton 

coast,  with  her  Majesty.  It  was  on  a  cold  November 
afternoon.  I  was  riding  over  the  heath  of  Quiberon, 
in  Brittany,  where  I  had  remained  fur  some  weeks  after 
Elizabeth  returned  to  Vienna.  Far  below  me,  at  the 
foot  of  the  cliffs,  the  waves  were  dashing  against  the 
rocks  with  a  loud,  grinding  sound  of  rolling  pebbles  and 
shaking  bowlders,  and  the  wind  was  shrieking  through 
the  dried  stalks  of  the  furze  and  broom.  The  melancholy 
of  the  scene  brought  vividly  back  to  my  mind  tales  I 
had  often  heard  of  the  terrible  carnage  which  took  place 
on  this  very  spot  in  1795.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  I  could 
even  see  the  broad  face  of  the  moon  throwing  a  livid 
light  on  the  deserted  battle-field  of  those  days,  and  dead 
and  dying  piled  in  great  heaps,  which  the  furious  waves 
of  the  rising  tide  approached  in  leaps  and  bounds.  I 
almost  fancied  I  heard  the  moaning  of  the  wounded, 
abandoned  to  their  wretched  fate,  and  saw  the  "  Whites  " 
and  the  "  Blues,"  as  the  Boyalists  and  Revolutionists  were 

146 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

respectively  designated,  lying  side  by  side  in  their  last 
moments  of  agony.  So  absorbed  was  I  in  this  retrospective 
reverie,  that  I  suffered  my  hunter  to  adopt  a  snail-like  pace, 
as  he  also  gazed  seaward  where  so  many  of  his  kind  had 
found  a  watery  grave  in  those  long  gone  times.  The 
scene  was  a  desolate  one  indeed,  well  in  keeping  with 
my  thoughts,  and  the  incident  which  brought  me  back 
from  the  retrospective  musings  was  strange  enough  to 
make  me  think  that  I  was  still  dreaming  with  wide- 
open  eyes. 

Just  as  I  was  about  to  round  the  point  which  discloses 
the  entire  panorama  of  this  tempest-tossed  stretch  of 
water,  called  La  Mer  Sauvage,  I  saw  plainly  before  me, 
in  spite  of  the  rapidly  gathering  dusk,  a  white  figure 
standing  on  the  very  edge  of  the  precipice,  and  seemingly 
swinging  to  and  fro  with  a  gentle,  undulating  motion, 
as  if  about  to  clear  the  bastion-like  ramparts  formed 
by  the  cliff. 

I  checked  my  horse  so  violently  that,  unused  to  such 
rough  treatment,  the  delicately  organized  thoroughbred 
reared   straight   up   in   the   air,   and  it  took  me  a  few 
moments   to   soothe   his   aggrieved   feelings.      When   I 
had  succeeded  in  doing  so,  I  looked  again  towards  the 
spot   where   the   figure   had  stood  flutteringly  outlined 
against  the  evening  sky,  but  it   was  no  longer  there. 
Giving  my  fretting  horse  his  head,  I  galloped  madly  away, 
unmindful  of  the  grand  panorama  before  me,  of  the  sacred 
Druidical    stones    which    I    passed   at   lightning  speed, 
although  I  usually  loved  to  give  a  lingering  look  at  those 
weird  and  terrible  monuments  of  the  times  of  the  Gauls. 
It  was  late  when  I  arrived  home,  just  in  time  to 
dress  and  to  hurry  down  to  the  dining-hall,  where  our 
numerous  guests  had  already  assembled.     I  had  no  time 
to  think  of  the  quaint  apparition  perceived  during  my 

147 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

homeward  journey,  and  as  dinner  was  followed  by  an 
impromptu  dance,  it  was  after  midnight  when  I  retired 
to  my  room.  I  was  wellnigh  tired  out,  and  I  dropped 
into  a  deep  sleep  as  soon  as  my  head  touched  the  pillow. 
It  did  not  seem  that  a  long  time  had  elapsed  when, 
suddenly,  I  awakened,  with  a  start. 

The  tiny  enamelled  clock  at  my  bedside  rang  out 
thrice  its  soft,  silvery  stroke.  While  the  sound  was 
yet  dying  away  I  opened  my  eyes  and  looked  about 
me  with  a  feeling  of  oppression  and  anxiety. 

The  large,  high-ceiled  room,  lighted  by  the  rosy 
glow  of  the  night-lamp  and  by  the  fitful  gleams  of  the 
fast-consuming  logs  on  the  hearth,  looked  as  peaceful 
as  usual.  Not  a  fold  of  the  heavy  draperies  on  the  walls 
had  been  disturbed ;  the  tall  green  fronds  of  the  palms 
before  the  windows  were  unruffled  by  so  much  as  a  breath 
of  air,  and  a  stray  moonbeam  glided  through  a  parting 
of  the  window-curtains  and  fell  aslant  the  floor,  like  a 
sheaf  of  silver  rays. 

Wearily  my  eyelids  drooped,  and  I  was  about  to  doze 
off  once  more,  when  a  second  time  I  started  as  if  a 
hand  had  touched  me.  The  November  night  was  very 
cold  for  Brittany,  and  the  wind  swept  in  icy  gusts 
around  the  castle.  Everybody  was  asleep,  and  when  I 
at  length  lay  down  again  there  was  not  a  sound  in  the 
whole  big  pile  of  buildings  save  the  crackling  of  the 
logs  on  the  broad  hearth. 

Lulled  by  the  low  moaning  of  the  sea  at  the  foot  of 
the  cliffs  far  below  my  windows,  I  tried  again  to  go  to 
sleep;  but  I  was  kept  from  doing  so  by  an  incompre- 
hensible feeling  of  anguish.  Cold  perspiration  stood  on 
my  brow,  and  I  experienced  great  difficulty  in  breathing. 
Dazed  and  surprised,  I  looked  around  me,  but  the  fire 
had  now  almost  completely  died  out,  and  the  dim,  rosy 

148 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AX  EMPRESS 

light  from  the  smouldering  embers  was  not  strong  enough 
to  allow  me  to  distinguish  anything  clearly.  I  was 
trying  to  reason  myself  into  going  to  sleep  again  in 
spite  of  all,  when  a  very  slight  rustle  attracted  my 
attention  and  made  me  shudder  from  head  to  foot.  It 
was  so  slight  that  none  but  ears  sharpened  by  fear  could 
have  perceived  it,  and  yet  there  it  was — a  soft,  silky, 
gliding,  undulating  motion  of  something  invisible 
gradually  approaching  my  bed.  I  lay  there  incapable 
of  moving,  straining  every  nerve  in  my  effort  to  realize 
what  that  sound  could  be,  but  the  beating  of  my  pulses 
was  so  loud  that  I  could  less  and  less  distinguish  whence 
it  came.  Suddenly  my  heart  died  within  me,  for  the 
curtains  had  parted,  and  from  the  sheaf  of  moonbeams, 
now  broadened  to  a  regular  flood  of  scintillating  light, 
the  figure  I  had  seen  on  the  cliffs  floated  towards  me. 
I  am  no  coward,  and  I  may  assert  that  I  am  not 
fanciful  either;  but  yet  I  seemed  to  become  paralyzed 
by  some  kind  of  magnetic  power  which  I  had  never 
experienced  before.  Stir  so  much  as  a  finger  I  could 
not;  all  my  vitality  was  concentrated  in  my  eyes. 
Mechanically  I  heard  the  clock  ticking  monotonously; 
I  listened  to  every  sob  of  the  waves  against  the  rocky 
beach  below,  and  to  the  fast-rising  wind  as  it  shook  the 
deep-embrasured  casements,  but  all  these  sounds  were 
dull  in  my  ear,  as  if  heard  from  a  far-away  grave  where 
I  was  entombed  alive. 

The  figure  reached  my  bedside  and  bent  over  me.  I 
clenched  my  teeth  convulsively  to  smother  a  cry  of 
agony,  for  I  could  now  distinguish  every  detail  plainly, 
and  I  saw  Elizabeth's  features  pale  as  death,  her  great 
blue  eyes  dilated  and  bent  upon  me  with  a  heart-rending 
expression  of  sadness  and  of  woe,  and  one  slim,  emaciated 
hand  pointing  to  a  little  wound  on  her  bare  breast,  and 

149 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

from  which  two  or  three  drops  of  blood  had  oozed  upon 
the  white  folds  of  her  robe.  And  then  I  swooned  away, 
losing  all  consciousness  of  that  awful  picture. 

When  I  regained  my  senses  I  could  see  through  the 
opening  between  the  heavy  tapestried  window-hangings 
that  the  sun  had  risen.  The  room,  with  its  luxurious 
furnishings,  its  numberless  knickknacks  and  bibelots, 
was  peaceful  and  undisturbed,  but  I  could  not  shake  off 
the  horrible  impression  of  what  I  persisted  in  telling 
myself  was  but  a  ghastly  dream.  I  telegraphed  to 
Elizabeth  during  the  course  of  the  morning,  and  she 
replied  immediately  that  she  was  very  well,  expressing 
surprise  at  my,  to  her,  quite  meaningless  and  anxious 
inquiry.  So  I  called  myself  a  fool,  and  tried  to  dismiss 
the  whole  affair  from  my  brain. 

Of  course  I  never  mentioned  a  word  of  it  to  the 
Empress,  and  when  I  regained  Austria  we  resumed  as 
of  yore  our  rides  over  hill  and  dale,  talking  often  of 
Brittany,  a  subject,  however,  to  which,  much  to  her 
astonishment,  I  did  not  take  very  kindly,  for  it  always 
recalled  to  me  the  vision  seen  during  one  of  the  most 
trying  nights  which  I  ever  spent  in  my  life. 


150 


CHAPTER   IX 

From  our  long  forest  rambles  Elizabeth  would  often 
bring  back,  tied  to  the  pommel  of  her  saddle,  all 
manner  of  queer  objects — strangely  gnarled  branches, 
bright-hued  berries,  long  waving  reeds — which  she  after- 
wards disposed  gracefully  and  with  a  quaint,  original 
taste  about  her  apartments. 

Very  characteristic  of  her  was  the  originality  which 
she  showed  in  the  arrangement  of  her  private  apartments. 
Whether  she  was  staying  at  one  of  her  own  palaces  or 
in  a  plain  suite  of  rooms  at  a  hotel,  her  first  care  was 
invariably  to  send  for  flowers,  quantities  of  them,  both 
potted  and  cut,  and  to  dispose  them  herself  in  all  avail- 
able nooks  and  corners.  Next  came  her  books,  well- 
thumbed  volumes,  handsomely  but  soberly  bound,  and 
written  in  the  many  dead  and  living  languages  which 
she  knew.  A  large  square  box  containing  portraits  and 
photographs  of  those  she  loved  was  always  included  in 
her  luggage,  and  she  took  special  delight  in  grouping 
these  souvenirs  of  home  about  her. 

When  she  built  and  furnished  the  Villa  Achilleon 
she  gave  proof  of  what  her  artistic  sense  really  was. 

This  imperial  abode  has  been  so  often  described 
that  it  seems  futile  to  do  so  again  here,  and  yet  no 
pen  or  even  brush  wielded  by  the  cleverest  of  writers 
or  of  painters  has  ever  given  an  adequate  idea  of  the 
chastened  magnificence  and  truly  unique  taste  displayed 
throughout  this  creation  of  her  imagination,  executed  in 

151 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

marbles  and  mosaics,  precious  woods  and  more  precious 
metals. 

Corfu  was  a  fitting  place  of  residence  for  the  grieving 
Empress.  She  followed  in  her  selection  the  example 
of  Agrippina,  widow  of  Gernianicus,  who,  in  the  year 
20  A.D.,  cast  into  the  depths  of  despair  by  the  loss  she 
had  sustained,  landed  upon  the  shores  of  this  enchanted 
island  to  seek  the  consolation  usually  brought  by  beau- 
tiful scenery,  coupled  with  perfect  rest  and  estrangement 
from  all  social  noise  and  turmoil. 

The  attention  of  the  Empress  had  been  directed  to 
the  classical  spot  where  the  villa  now  stands  by  the  late 
Freiherr  von  Warsberg,  the  great  authority  on  the  land- 
scape scenery  of  the  Odyssey.  Within  the  incredibly 
short  time  of  little  more  than  one  and  a  half  years  the 
modest  villa  Braila,  on  the  Gasturi  Hill,  in  the  island 
of  Corfu,  long  known  for  its  enchanting  position,  was 
replaced,  under  the  direction  of  the  Italian  architect, 
Rafael  Charito,  by  a  palace  conceived  and  carried  out 
in  the  spirit  of  ancient  Greece.  The  eastern  slope  of 
the  hill  facing  towards  the  sea  is  covered  with  olive 
plantations,  while  the  opposite  incline  has  been  laid 
out  as  a  beautiful  park,  on  wide  terraces.  The  west 
front  rises  two  stories  high,  but  the  villa  leans  against 
the  hill,  so  that  the  upper  story  at  the  opposite  side 
is  level  with  the  first  terrace. 

The  principal  entrance  is  on  the  south  front,  which, 
with  its  projecting  porch,  its  loggias  and  balconies, 
presents  an  exceedingly  picturesque  aspect.  The  vesti- 
bule is  connected  with  a  large,  sumptuously  decorated 
salon,  upon  the  ceiling  of  which  Paliotti  has  represented 
the  four  seasons.  To  the  right  is  the  chapel,  carried 
out  in  pure  Byzantine  style ;  to  the  left  the  dining-room, 
Pompeian  to  the  minutest  detail.     A   marble   staircase 

152 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

with  bronze  balustrades  leads  to  the  second  story,  where 
the  apartments  of  the  Empress  were  situated.  The 
central  salon  opens  on  the  Centaur  terrace,  and  has 
empire  decorations,  with  frescoes  of  Aurora  on  the  ceil- 
ing, painted  also  by  Paliotti.  All  the  various  apartments 
are  filled  with  art  treasures  of  Pompeian  and  ancient 
Greek  origin  which  the  Empress  collected  herself. 

The  arrangements  of  Elizabeth's  private  suite  of 
rooms  reflected  the  individual  taste  of  the  august  chate- 
laine in  all  its  well-known  refinement.  One  of  the  most 
magnificent  features  of  the  building  is  the  peristyle 
into  which  the  Empress's  rooms  opened.  It  is  supported 
by  twelve  marble  columns,  in  front  of  which  are  placed 
marble  statues  brought  from  Rome,  while  the  walls  are 
painted  by  Paliotti  and  Pastiglione  with  scenes  from 
ancient  Greek  mythology  and  romance  as  they  were 
described  by  Homer,  -ZEsop,  and  many  other  ancient 
poets  and  chroniclers. 

The  building  contains  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
rooms,  and  the  stables  have  accommodation  for  fifty 
horses. 

From  the  windows  of  her  Majesty's  sleeping  apart- 
ment and  boudoir  the  view  is  admirable,  reaching  far 
away  to  where  the  mountains  of  Cyprus  and  Albania 
tower  into  the  sky.  All  the  rooms  are  furnished  with 
that  exquisite  taste  ever  displayed  by  the  Empress  in 
all  interior  arrangements. 

Almost  all  the  carpets,  rugs,  tapestries,  and  lamps 
were  bought  by  Elizabeth  in  Morocco  and  Tunis,  while 
the  marvellous  frescoes  with  which  the  walls  are  deco- 
rated are,  as  I  just  remarked,  the  work  of  the  celebrated 
Italian  painters,  Scanni,  Paliotti,  and  Pastiglione.  This 
delightful  and  truly  imperial  abode  cost  over  forty 
million  florins,  not  including,  of  course,  the   treasures 

153 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

of  art  which  adorn  the  spacious  picture-gallery  etc. 
The  grounds  are  a  dream  of  extraordinary  magnificence, 
with  their  ever-blooming  thickets  of  tropical  plants  and 
trees,  their  groves  of  palms,  blue-gum  trees,  and  their 
sparkling  fountains.  Behind  the  villa  is  a  huge  field 
of  roses,  comprising  twenty-five  thousand  bushes,  of  all 
kinds  and  colours.  A  trellised  walk  covered  with 
climbing  noisette  and  nyphetos  encloses  this  unique 
collection,  the  flower-laden  branches  meeting  and  inter- 
lacing overhead,  and  then  drooping  in  perfumed  showers 
almost  to  the  ground.  It  would  be  indeed  difficult  to 
give  an  idea  of  this  vision  of  loveliness,  for  the  "rose- 
garden"  is  so  planned  that  it  has  the  least  possible 
appearance  of  design.  The  luxuriant  bushes  of  crimson, 
yellow,  pink,  and  white  roses  seem  to  have  chosen 
their  own  places,  and  to  have  chosen  them  most  happily 
too. 

The  stables,  saddle  and  harness  rooms,  are,  one  might 
almost  say,  the  greatest  marvel  of  this  superb  residence. 
The  Empress  ordered  everything  in  this  portion  of  the 
establishment  to  be  brought  from  England,  down  to  the 
wainscoting  in  light  oak  which  lines  the  coach-houses 
and  saddle-rooms.  The  stables  are  at  some  distance 
from  the  house,  and  constitute  a  very  charming  feature 
of  the  landscape,  with  their  many  gables,  their  latticed 
windows,  and  their  pointed  roofs,  overrun  with  creepers 
and  climbing  roses.  The  broad  sanded  alley  leading  to 
them  gently  ascends  through  the  park,  and  is  bordered 
on  both  sides  with  beds  of  pink  and  white  geraniums, 
and  groves  of  blossoming  camellias,  azaleas,  and  monster 
ferns. 

The  gardens  and  park  descend  in  sloping  terraces 
to  the  very  edge  of  the  sea,  where  a  flight  of  steps, 
made  of  pink  marble,  leads  to  a  private   harbour.     A 

154 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

light-house,  also  built  of  marble  and  provided  with  an 
enormous  electric  lamp,  throws  its  dazzling  rays  over 
the  water  and  on  the  surrounding  woods. 

The  sea-wall  of  pink  marble  is  crowned  with  vases 
of  majolica  tilled  with  aloe  plants,  and  separates  the 
grounds  from  the  rippling  dark-blue  waves. 

On  a  slight  rocky  elevation  at  the  farther  side  of 
the  garden  an  exquisite  little  Greek  temple  is  perched, 
about  which,  as  well  as  around  its  rocky  base,  a  wealth 
of  noisette  and  multiflora  climbing  specimens  are  vying 
with  each  other  to  shed  all  the  perfumes  of  Arabia  on 
the  mellow  air.     Single  climbers  wrap  the  great  trees 
on  the  border  of  this  Eden,  displaying  their  matchless 
beauty  of  blossom  in  the  very  wantonness  of  security, 
hanging  out  their  brilliant  wreaths,  fearless  of  hand  or 
knife,  for  the  Empress  loved  them  and  cared  for  these 
blossoms  of  nature  more  even  than  for  the  Golden  Eose 
of  Merit  sent  to  her  years  ago  by  his  Holiness  the  Pope. 
In  this  Greek  temple  the  Empress  used  to  sit  with 
her  dogs  at  her  feet  gazing  on  the  deep-blue  sea,  which 
appeared  here  and  there  between  the  forest  of  flowers, 
seeking   comfort  and   consolation    from    the    pain    ever 
gnawing  at  her  heart. 

Unfortunately,  even  the  beauties  of  Achilleon  failed 
to  attain  any  such  end,  and  the  poor  Niobe,  hunted 
by  the  restlessness  of  a  pain  too  great  to  be  explained 
in  words,  decided  not  very  long  ago  to  abandon  her 
lovely  Greek  villa. 

"  Who  shall  assuage  thy  grief,  thou  tempest  tossed, 
And  speak  of  comfort,  comfortless  to  thee  ?  " 

The  monuments  which  had  been  erected  in  the 
gardens  to  the  memory  of  Crown-prince  Rudolph,  and 
of  her  Majesty's  favourite  poet,  Heine,  were  taken  away 

155 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

and  sent,  together  with  most  of  the  art  treasures  con- 
tained in  the  salons  and  galleries  of  Achilleon,  to  Schloss 
Lainz,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  castle  of  Schonbrunn, 
which  then  became  the  favourite  retreat  of  the  Kaiserin, 
a  terra-incognita  which  is  concealed  from  the  public 
gaze  by  thousands  of  woodland  acres. 

If  Achilleon  was  a  marvel  of  Greek  and  Pompeian 
reconstruction,  Lainz  seems  to  be  torn  out  of  the  pages 
of  some  ancient  record  of  legends  or  fairy  tales.  Sur- 
rounded, in  spite  of  the  immensity  of  the  domain,  by 
high,  forbidding-looking  walls,  it  is  still  further  pro- 
tected from  any  gaze,  save  that  of  the  birds,  by  a  belt 
of  century-old  trees  of  extreme  magnificence,  which  cast 
their  deep-green  shadows  upon  the  most  velvety  of 
emerald  swards.  Here  again  Elizabeth's  love  for  flowers 
showed  itself,  the  gardens  being  as  near  perfection  as 
perfection  is  to  be  attained  here  below.  The  castle  itself 
is  embedded  in  masses  of  blossoms  which  literally  beggar 
description,  the  many  tropical  plants  finding  during  the 
cold  months  a  refuge  in  the  enormous  winter-garden, 
which  opens  from  the  Empress's  private  suite  of  rooms. 

The  building  itself  is  very  roomy  and  decorated  in 
Renaissance  style,  and  the  lofty  entrance-hall  is  adorned 
with  many  beautiful  paintings,  including  the  celebrated 
"Hunt  of  Diana,"  by  Makart.  A  majestic  salon,  the 
walls  of  which  are  inlaid  with  wonderful  mosaics,  is 
called  the  Marble  Room,  and  there  is  it  that,  hidden 
behind  a  movable  panel,  a  jewel  of  an  altar  stands,  of 
pure  Renaissance  design,  where  the  Empress's  chaplain 
used  to  say  mass  every  morning  at  sunrise.  This  altar 
is  ensconced  in  a  fretted  and  carved  extension  of  the 
Schloss,  according  to  the  rules  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
which  prohibit  anything  being  built  above  such  places 
of  worship. 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Upstairs  are  the  private  apartments  of  the  Emperor 
and  Empress,  separated  by  a  large  library  so  filled  with 
palms,  ferns,  and  shrubs  in  full  bloom,  emerging  from 
great  bronze  and  silver  boxes,  that  it  closely  resembles 
a  conservatory. 

The  Kaiser's  bedroom  is  austerely  simple,  a  camp 
bed  covered  with  military  blue  cloth,  a  prie-dieu  sur- 
mounted by  a  large  crucifix,  a  superb  painting  repre- 
senting the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  another  of  the  Empress 
and  her  children,  being  about  all  it  contains.  Far  more 
luxurious  is  Elizabeth's  sleeping  chamber,  but  still  the 
dominating  note  is  peculiarly  quiet  and  peaceful.  Walls 
and  furniture  are  of  a  soft,  creamy  whiteness — that  of 
the  finest  of  velvets— the  floor  is  covered  with  white 
bear-skins,  and  the  windows  are  shrouded  by  cream-hued 
velvets,  and  Alencon  laces.  Opposite  the  narrow  white 
lacquered  bed  stands  a  matchless  alabaster  statue  repre- 
senting a  weeping  Niobe.  The  pedestal  of  this  exquisite 
masterpiece  is  smothered  in  banks  of  delicately  foliaged 
green  plants,  and  was  lighted  all  night,  whether  the 
Empress  was  there  or  not,  by  tiny  opalescent  globes 
containing  perfumed  candles.  During  her  long  attacks 
of  insomnia  the  poor  bereft  mother  found  a  sort  of 
comfort  in  contemplating  this,  her  counterpart,  and 
used  to  lie  with  her  lovely  eyes  fixed  on  the  white  form 
so  pathetically  pure  and  beautiful. 

The  bed  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  protected 
at  the  upper  end  by  a  huge  screen,  the  central  leaf  of 
which  consisted  of  an  admirably  painted  picture  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin.  Between  two  of  the  four  tall  windows 
stood  a  statue  also  representing  Mary,  holding  in  her 
outspread  hands  a  magnificent  antique  rosary  of  gems, 
which  sparkled  under  the  rays  of  the  ever-burning  sanc- 
tuary lamp  of  ruby-tinted  crystal  hanging  above  it. 

157 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

The  Empress's  study,  which  opened  into  her  sleeping 
apartment,  was  filled  with  souvenirs;  little  frames,  con- 
taining her  children's  and  grandchildren's  first  attempts 
at  drawing,  hung  above  the  great  square  writing-table ; 
a  portrait  of  the  dead  king,  Louis  II.  of  Bavaria,  was 
supported  by  an  easel  draped  in  cloth-of-silver.  Every- 
where there  Avas  a  picturesque  litter  of  casts,  sketches, 
books,  and  small  and  large  bronzes.  There  were  many 
priceless  vases,  adorned,  of  course,  with  exquisite  flowers. 
The  hearth  was  wide  open  and  oak  logs  burned  there 
morning  and  evening,  shining  on  the  carvings  of  the 
high  chimney-piece,  excepting  in  midsummer,  when  it 
was  all  filled  in  with  flowers  and  plants.  A  beautiful 
marble  copy  of  the  Belvedere  Mercury  stood  near  by, 
with  great  clusters  of  snowy  azaleas  and  white  camellias 
around  it. 

The  dining-room  was  in  keeping  with  the  rest  of 
the  little  castle,  for  there,  also,  flowers  played  the  pre- 
dominant role.  In  the  corners  fountains  of  marble 
harboured  the  most  brilliant  and  also  the  most  delicate 
specimens  of  the  aquatic  flora,  which  spread  their  in- 
toxicating fragrance  from  beneath  the  prismatic  spray 
of  the  water-jets. 

Here  on  a  console  stood  a  remarkable  toy,  which  the 
Empress  took  especial  delight  in  winding  up  for  the 
benefit  of  her  grandchildren.  It  was  a  mandolin  player 
dressed  in  the  costume  of  the  Kenaissance,  and  the 
merry  strains  of  the  instrument  he  held  accompanied 
the  little  automat's  voice,  which  was  extremely  good 
and  sounded  astoundingly  natural.  When  Archduchess 
Valerie's  children  came  to  Lainz  the  Empress  always 
had  some  surprise  in  reserve  for  them.  Often  it  took 
the  form  of  dvrarf  fruit-trees  brought  to  the  table  at 
desert,  and  from  the  diminutive  branches  of  which  the 

158 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

little  ones  gleefully  gathered  monster  cherries,  rosy- 
cheeked  apples,  luscious  pears,  apricots,  plums,  or 
currants. 

The  Empress,  this  ardent  lover  of  flowers,  has  often 
been  compared  to  the  edelweiss— the  ice-blossom — 
which  can  thrive  only  in  an  untainted  atmosphere ;  but 
this  comparison  holds  good  only  in  so  far  as  her  crystal- 
like purity  went,  for  to  be  simply  and  beautifully 
passionless,  in  the  grosser  sense  of  the  word,  and  far 
removed  from  human  frailties  and  sins  is  not  to  be 
made  of  ice.  It  is  what  made  her  the  most  poetical, 
the  most  lovable  figure  among  the  royalty  of  Europe. 
I  myself  have  always  thought  that  the  edelweiss  was  no 
fit  emblem  for  the  absolutely  unique  type  of  blameless 
womanhood  represented  by  Empress  Elizabeth.  After 
all,  the  edelweiss  is  easily  attainable  and  can  be  procured 
from  the  inhabitants  of  any  Alpine  village.  A  far  like- 
lier simile  could  be  drawn  between  her  and  the  wolfinia- 
carnthiana,  which  grows  upon  the  very  summit  of  the 
Garntnerkogel,  in  her  Majesty's  beloved  Corinthian 
mountains,  and  nowhere  else  in  the  world.  Like  the 
wolfmia,  the  Empress  soon  drooped  in  any  atmosphere 
that  did  not  suit  her,  and  her  avoidance  of  just  such 
atmospheres  was  what  caused  the  ignorant  crowd  to 
accuse  her  of  being  eccentric,  odd,  and  frozen. 

Every  evening  when  at  Lainz  she  retired  to  her  own 
room  punctually  at  ten,  after  having  spent  the  previous 
hour  or  two  in  writing  to  her  children  and  grandchildren, 
and  to  her  sisters,  with  whom  she  kept  up  a  constant 
correspondence,  especially  with  the  ex-Queen  of  Naples, 
of  whom  she  was  very  fond. 

She  rose  at  five,  and  by  six  was  out  of  doors  walking 
about  the  gardens,  arrayed  in  one  of  those  short  tailor- 
made  silk-lined  black  serge  dresses  which  she  wore  so 

159 


THE    MARTYRDOM    OF   AN    EMPRESS 

much.  She  never  could  bear  a  dress  to  trail  or  even  to 
touch  the  ground,  save  at  court  functions  and  state  balls, 
and  insisted  on  having  all  her  skirts  made  very  short, 
as  she  could  not  bear  the  trouble  of  holding  them  up, 
which,  she  declared,  made  her  awfully  nervous.  She 
invariably  carried  a  book  with  her  in  her  rambles. 
When  there,  also,  during  late  years,  she  wrote  a  great 
deal  of  prose  and  of  poetry,  for  she  said  that  writing 
amused  her  and  kept  her  from  thinking.  That  is  rather 
a  strange  way  of  putting  it,  especially  when  one  knows 
how  full  of  thought,  and  beautiful  thought,  indeed,  her 
literary  work  was. 

As  an  example,  here  is  a  portion  of  a  letter  written 
by  her  to  a  friend,  and  describing  a  visit  which  she 
made  to  an  eccentric  old  gentleman  who  lived  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Cairo,  and  whose  great  wealth  and 
originality  caused  much  talk  there  during  many  years  : 

"The  drive  was  a  long  one.  It  led  us  at  first  along 
the  straight  white  boulevards  of  Cairo,  then  through 
winding,  ancient  streets,  and  beneath  the  splendidly 
mosaiqued  arches  of  old  Cairo,  where  the  bizarre  and 
attractive  conflict  of  European  and  Oriental  life  spreads 
its  strange  panorama.  At  last  we  left  the  town,  with 
its  medley  of  loaded  camels,  white-bearded  sheiks, 
Bedouins,  and  red-coated  English  soldiery  far  behind 
us,  to  enter  a  broad  avenue  of  century-old  sycamores, 
which  followed  the  green  bank  of  the  old  river.  On  we 
drove,  until  at  a  bend  of  the  road  we  suddenly  caught  a 
glimpse  of  a  densely  wooded  promontory  jutting  out  in 
the  dark-blue  waters  of  the  Nile,  and  surmounted  by  a 
feathery  bunch  of  tall  palm-trees,  the  foliage  of  which 
seemed  pencilled  with  extraordinary  exactitude  against 
the  pale  green  and  pink  evening  sky.     The  red-hot  rays 

160 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

of  the  sinking  sun  shed  their  glory  about  this  matchless 
picture,  which  we  admired  in  almost  awed  silence. 

"Bapidly  the  carriage  turned  from  the  main  avenue 
into  a  private  one  barred  by  gigantic  iron  gates,  which, 
however,  were  thrown  wide  open  in  our  honour,  while 
a  boab,  or  porter,  wrapped  in  the  numerous  folds  of  his 
snowy  gandarah,  salaamed  with  deep  obeisance  as  we 
whirled  past  him. 

"  Truly  it  seemed  as  had  we  entered  fairy-land !  All 
around  us  were  clusters  of  tamarisk  and  orange  and 
glowing  pomegranate,  overshadowing  parterres  filled 
with  deep-hued  flowers  and  protected  by  low  hedges  of 
thorny  dwarf  cactus.  Above  our  heads  the  interlaced 
branches  of  colossal  rose-laurels,  magnolias,  and  jasmine 
trees  formed  a  fragrant  bower  which  ended  in  a  sort  of 
glade,  whereon  arose  the  lace-like  white  marble  minarets 
and  towers  of  what  appeared  to  be  an  enchanted  palace. 
Fountains  played  on  aquatic  blossoms  of  all  descriptions, 
multicoloured  birds  flitted  over  the  lanceolated  leaves  of 
pink  and  blue  lotuses,  and  soft-eyed  gazelles  scampered 
over  the  velvety  lawns,  losing  themselves  under  the 
deepening  shadows  of  the  miniature  tropical  forest 
which  backed  the  half-Moorish,  half-Indian  construction. 
Seen  in  the  waning  yet  still  brilliant  light  of  the 
eastern  afternoon,  the  tableau,  such  as  I  have  attempted 
to  describe  it  for  your  benefit,  was  like  unto  the  evo- 
cation of  some  poet's  dream,  and  I  hardly  believed 
myself  to  be  awake  when  the  carriage  drew  up  before 
a  flower-laden  flight  of  steps.  Ashamed  of  an  aston- 
ishment so  thoroughly  out  of  place  for  a  hardened 
traveller  like  myself,  I  alighted  and  commenced  to 
walk  up  the  marble  steps,  where  I  was  met  by  an 
apparition  well  in  keeping  with  my  surroundings, 
for    I    do    not    remember   to   have   ever  been  so  much 

161  M 


THE    MARTYRDOM    OF   AN"    EMPRESS 

struck  by  the  personal  appearance  of  any  man  in  my 
life. 

"Our  advancing  host  was  a  man  of  considerably 
over  medium  stature ;  the  easy  grace  which  marked  his 
movements  told  of  a  body  in  which  true  proportions  of 
every  limb,  muscle,  and  sinew  were  the  most  marked 
characteristics.  The  face  was  noble,  of  a  clear  sunburned 
brown  inclining  to  an  olive  tint,  the  brow  was  low  and 
broad,  the  nose  firm  in  its  contour  and  somewhat  aqui- 
line, while  the  mouth,  surrounded  by  a  silvery  mous- 
tache and  flowing  beard,  was  of  a  generous  Greek  fulness 
of  lip.  The  eyes,  in  marked  and  startling  contrast  with 
this  darkish  complexion,  were  of  a  dark  luminous  blue, 
yielding  a  strange  radiance,  and  overshadowed  by  black 
lashes  and  brows.  This  majestically  moving  figure  was 
clad  in  a  loose  robe  of  rich  material  and  wonderfully 
blended  colours,  while  on  the  hoary  head  was  wound 
a  turban  of  white  and  silver  silken  stuffs. 

" '  Welcome  to  my  Tltebaide?  he  said,  in  a  deep, 
sonorous  voice,  as  he  bent  over  the  hand  which  I 
extended  to  him ;  and  retaining  it  in  his,  he  led  me 
across  a  mosaic  terrace  of  great  beauty  to  a  chamber 
which  I  almost  despair  of  describing  by  means  of  such 
poor  tools  as  pen  and  ink. 

"When  I  first  entered  it  I  could  not  speak,  in  the 
extremity  of  my  amazement,  for  although  I  believed 
that  I  had  seen  a  fair  portion  of  this  world's  luxury, 
yet  stood  I  speechless  with  surprise  before  this,  to  my 
mind,  exact  reproduction  of  Aladdin's  treasure-chamber ! 
It  appeared  to  me  as  if  both  walls  and  ceiling  were 
thickly  incrusted  with  gold  and  gems  of  the  most  mag- 
nificent description,  and  of  a  truth  such  was  really  the 
case,  for  on  the  pale-blue  velvet  serving  as  tcntures  hung 
an  unparalleled  collection  of  jewelled  weapons,  and  other 

162 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

ornaments  of  barbaric  splendour  :  scimitars  in  scabbards 
scintillating  with  sapphires,  diamonds,  and  rubies,  yata- 
gans  incrusted  with  emeralds  and  pearls,  scarfs  of  cloth- 
of-gold  fantastically  embroidered  with  precious  stones, 
while  hanging-lamps  of  solid  gold  depended  from  the 
ceiling,  above  great  tables  of  malachite,  lapis  lazuli,  and 
jade.  The  entire  floor  was  covered  with  azure  velvet, 
and  the  low  divans  running  all  around  this  glittering 
room  were  piled  with  silken  cushions  of  a  deep-tinted 
amber  colour.  A  dainty  repast  of  fruit,  sweetmeats, 
and  drinks,  iced  to  a  turn,  lay  in  readiness  on  an  inlaid 
table,  on  each  side  of  which  two  servants  in  turbans 
of  white  and  gold  stood  with  folded  arms. 

"In  such  company,  and  amid  such  surroundings,  the 
hours  flew  like  minutes,  and  it  was  with  a  feeling  of 
regret  that  I  rose  at  last  to  bid  farewell  to  this  extra- 
ordinary host  of  ours." 

This  is  pretty  good  English,  and  pretty  good  style 
for  a  foreigner  who  wrote  to  "prevent  herself  from 
thinking  !  "  I  should  say. 

The  only  time  when  the  Empress  appeared  at  any 
court  ceremony  since  the  death  of  her  son  was  on  the 
occasion  of  the  visit  of  the  present  Czar  and  Czarina  to 
Vienna.  Her  presence  excited  then  even  more  interest 
and  curiosity  at  the  state  reception  given  at  the  Hofburg 
than  did  that  of  the  young  Czarina,  although  the  latter 
had  never  been  in  Austria  before. 

The  Muscovite  imperial  couple  were  received  by 
Elizabeth  at  Castle  Lainz,  which  was  a  great  compliment 
paid  to  the  visitors,  for  guests  were  never  entertained  at 
Lainz,  which  the  good  Viennese  called  the  Empress's 
"  Sacro-sanctum."  When  the  special  train  steamed  into 
the  little  station  of  Lainz,  the  Czar  and  Czarina  found, 

1G3 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

much  to  their  surprise  and  gratification,  that  the  Empress 
had  accompanied  her  husband,  and  that  both  of  them 
stood  waiting  on  the  platform.  The  Emperor  wore  his 
favourite  field-marshal's  uniform  and  the  Russian  Order 
of  St.  Andrew,  and  Elizabeth  was  draped  in  the  severe 
folds  of  a  black  velvet  dress  and  mantle.  Her  small 
head,  with  its  weight  of  golden-brown  braids,  was 
crowned  with  a  hat  covered  with  black  feathers,  and  in 
one  slender  hand  she  carried  her  accustomed  black  fan, 
while  the  other  held  a  gigantic  bunch  of  violets. 

The  dejeuner,  which  followed  almost  immediately 
upon  the  arrival  of  Nicholas  II.  and  Alexandra-Feo- 
dorovna,  was  a  success  from  every  point  of  view,  for  it 
was  not  only  a  gastronomical  feast,  but  it  was  typical 
of  Elizabeth  in  being  also  a  feast  for  the  eyes  and 
higher  tastes.  Flowers,  music,  perfumes,  beautiful 
surroundings  lent  themselves  to  make  up  a  positively 
entrancing  tout-ensemble. 

At  the  court  ball  the  charming  impression  received 
during  their  visit  to  Lainz  seemed  to  dwell  upon  the 
minds  of  the  imperial  guests. 

The  old  Hofburg  had  put  on  its  most  splendid 
Appearance  for  the  occasion.  Lighted  from  basement 
to  roof,  filled  with  gorgeous  exotics,  and  decorated  in 
the  most  original  and  wonderful  fashion,  it  yet  preserved 
its  appearance  of  being  a  page  torn  from  the  illustrated 
chronicles  of  the  Middle  Ages.  Early  in  the  evening 
the  great  salons  and  galleries,  the  throne-room  and 
llittersaal  were  crowded  with  women  in  dazzling  cos- 
tumes and  men  in  magnificent  court  and  military 
uniforms,  while  a  string  of  carriages  kept  unceasingly 
bringing  other  distinguished  guests  to  the  palace. 

A  few  minutes  after  eight  o'clock  the  grand-master 
of  the  ceremonies,  Count  Kalman-Hunyadi,  announced, 

164 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

by  rapidly  striking  the  floor  of  the  throne-room  with 
his  ivory  wand  of  office,  that  the  court  was  approaching, 
and  the  Emperor,  with  the  Empress  of  Kussia  on  his 
arm,  made  his  appearance,  followed  by  the  Czar,  led  by 
Empress  Elizabeth,  by  his  brother,  Archduke  Karl- 
Ludwig,  with  Archduchess  Maria-Theresa,  and  by  other 
members  of  the  imperial  family. 

All  eyes  were  immediately  turned  upon  the  lovely 
Austrian  sovereign,  who,  in  spite  of  all  the  sorrows  and 
sufferings  through  which  she  had  gone,  could  still  be 
truthfully  called  the  most  beautiful  woman  in  her 
dominions.  Her  toilette  was  a  vision  of  severe  elegance, 
chic,  and  perfection  of  taste. 

The  endless  fan-shaped  train  and  bodice  were  of 
softest,  most  shimmering  black  velvet,  veiled  with 
black-silk  gauze,  embroidered  with  pearl-hearted  black 
violets.  On  her  proud  head  sparkled  a  diadem  of  black 
pearls  and  black  diamonds,  whence  fell  to  the  very  hem 
of  the  court  mantle  a  transparent  veil  of  black  gauze 
powdered  with  jet.  Around  the  shapely  Marmorean 
neck  hung  row  after  row  of  softly  gleaming  black  pearls 
interspersed  with  brilliants,  and  she  carried  in  her  hand 
a  sheath  of  Russian  and  Neapolitan  violets,  tied  with 
jet-embroidered  black  streamers,  to  which  was  fastened 
an  enormous  black  marabout  fan  adorned  with  a  crown 
in  diamonds.  On  the  left  shoulder  was  attached  the 
Stern-kreuz  decoration,  also  in  diamonds.  The  Czarina 
wore  a  court  mantle  and  a  skirt  of  light-blue  moire- 
nacree,  entirely  veiled  with  gold-spangled  blue  tulle, 
the  mantle  being  secured  to  the  shoulders  by  epaulets 
of  natural  roses,  a  cluster  of  which  also  arose  from  the 
coronet  of  pink  pearls,  sapphires,  and  diamonds  sur- 
mounting the  waved  hair. 

The  Empress  was  in  one  of  her  most  charming  and 

165 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

amiable  inoods,  smiling  and  conversing  graciously  with 
all  the  ladies  of  the  corps-di2)lomatique  in  turn,  and  so 
youthful  did  she  look  that  her  contemporaries  would 
have  easily  been  taken  for  her  seniors  by  at  least  twenty 
years.  At  half-past  ten  their  majesties  retired  to  the 
private  council-room,  where  the  presentations  of  the 
evening  were  made. 

When  these  were  at  an  end,  tea  was  served  in  the 
Gobelin-room  for  their  majesties  and  their  immediate 
entourage,  while  the  other  guests  partook  of  supper  in 
the  Mirror  and  Pietradura  rooms,  at  tables  reserved  for 
eight  people  each.  At  midnight  the  reception  was  over, 
and  the  imposing  old  palace  was  wrapped  once  more 
in  darkness. 


166 


CHAPTER   X 

Like  all  mothers  who  truly  love  their  children,  the 
Empress  was  to  a  certain  extent  jealous  of  any  outside 
influence  which  might  be  brought  to  bear  upon  them, 
and  when  the  question  of  the  Crown-prince's  marriage 
was  first  mooted  it  became  a  very  vexatious  one  to  her. 
Of  course  she  saw  its  necessity,  not  only  as  it  was 
thought  that  it  would  steady  down  the  rather  wild  young 
Prince,  but  also  on  account  of  providing  for  the  dynasty 
a  line  of  direct  heirs  to  the  ancient  crown  which  he  was 
to  inherit.  There  were,  at  the  time  of  which  I  speak, 
but  very  few  marriageable  Catholic  princesses,  and 
the  one  who  was  finally  selected  was,  from  the  outset, 
by  no  means  a  satisfactory  choice  to  Elizabeth,  for  she 
was  the  daughter  of  the  King  of  the  Belgians,  whom 
the  Empress  could  literally  not  endure,  and  of  Arch- 
duchess Marie-Henrietta-Anne,  herself  daughter  of  the 
late  Archduke  Joseph,  Palatin  of  Hungary,  a  woman 
who  has  always  played  a  rather  effaced  and  paltry  role 
at  the  court  of  her  tyrannic,  unkind,  and  unfaithful 
husband,  King  Leopold. 

Long  were  the  discussions  which  the  Empress  and 
I  had  in  private  about  this  projected  alliance.  We  both 
of  us  disliked  and  mistrusted  Princess  Stephanie,  who 
was  a  strange  mixture  of  a  higote  and  a  flirt,  and  who 
already,  at  her  early  age — she  was  not  yet  seventeen 
— showed  signs  of  a  stubborn,  narrow-minded,  and  set 
temper,  bordering  on  nmlishness;  besides  all  which  she 

167 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

was  by  no  means  a  pretty  girl,  very  thin  and  angular, 
with  very  light  hair,  and  a  delicacy  of  complexion  which 
betokened  rather  lack  of  health  than  real  refinement 
of  appearance.  She  was  ungainly  in  all  her  motions, 
and  had  none  of  that  grace  without  which  a  woman 
possesses  no  charm  whatsoever. 

During  the  negotiations  which  took  place  between 
the  two  courts  the  Empress  was  singularly  despondent, 
a  mood  very  foreign  to  her,  and  her  tenderness  for 
Rudolph  seemed  to  become  greater  every  day.  He 
himself  did  not  appear  to  attach  a  very  serious  import- 
ance to  the  step  which  he  was  about  to  take.  Light- 
hearted  and  somewhat  sarcastic,  if  not  a  trifle  cynical 
in  his  way  of  looking  upon  women  in  general,  with  the 
sole  exception  of  his  mother,  whom  he  absolutely  adored, 
and  justly  thought  to  be  unequalled  both  morally  and 
physically  by  any  other  member  of  her  sex,  Rudi  used 
to  come  every  afternoon  at  dusk  into  the  oak-panelled 
library,  which  was  the  Empress's  favourite  retreat — and 
where,  when  I  had  the  happiness  of  being  with  her,  we 
invariably  spent  the  hour  before  dinner — laughing, 
joking,  and  attempting  to  put  all  our  prognostications 
and  fears  to  flight  by  his  merry  banter. 

"  Where  is  the  use  of  your  making  yourself  miserable, 
mother  mine  ?  "  he  would  say,  sitting  down  on  a  cushion 
at  her  feet,  before  the  brightly  burning  logs  on  the 
hearth,  and  taking  the  Empress's  slender  hands  between 
his  own.  "  You  know  very  well  that  as  long  as  it  is  an 
impossibility  for  me  to  find  a  wife  who  resembles  your- 
self in  the  very  slightest  degree,  I  may  as  well  marry 
this  good  little  Belgian  girl.  She  is  neither  homelier 
nor  more  uninteresting  than  the  rest  of  her  kind,  and  as 
she  is  very  young  I  may  have  a  chance  of  moulding  her 
temper  the  way  it  should  be  moulded.     So  don't  you 

168 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

worry,  and  be  quite  satisfied  that  I  am  not  madly  in 
love  with  her,  for  in  that  case  I  know  that  you,  jealous 
darling,  would  be  a  million  times  more  unhappy  yet !  " 

How  well  I  can  recall  those  oft-repeated  little  scenes : 
the  dim  rosv  light  of  the  fire  which  threw  fugitive 
gleams  of  colour  upon  the  embossed  and  emblazoned 
ceiling,  and  on  the  porphyry  sculptures  of  the  high 
mantelpiece,  in  front  of  which  the  Empress's  two 
favourite  gigantic  Danish  dogs  lay  stretched  out  at  full 
length,  while  she  herself,  gowned  in  one  of  those 
exquisitely  draped  and  lovely  creations  of  velvet  and 
fur,  which  she  generally  wore  when  we  dined  quite  by 
ourselves,  sat  without  speaking  much,  but  with  a  half 
smile  on  her  lovely  lips,  which  was,  however,  belied  by 
the  sadness  of  her  deep,  changeful  blue  eyes. 

"  My  poor  boy !  my  poor  boy ! "  she  kept  repeating, 
"  I  am  afraid  you  do  not  realize  what  misery  such  a 
marriage  as  that  which  vou  are  about  to  make  can 
bring  about.  The  girl  may  be,  as  you  say,  moulded; 
she  is  young  enough  for  that,  Heaven  knows ;  but  such 
moulding  is  not  an  easy  or  a  pleasant  process,  and  you, 
my  dear,  are  not  at  all  the  kind  of  a  man  who  possesses 
the  perseverance  to  undertake  the  moral  education  of 
his  wife !  My  love  for  you  shows  me  very  plainly  the 
defects  which  mar  your  many  good  qualities,  and  I 
know  just  as  well  as  if  the  thing  had  already  happened 
that  you  will  get  tired  and  annoyed  at  this  role  of 
mentor,  which  you  now  consider  to  be  so  easy  a  one. 
Your  father  wishes  you  to  marry.  To  be  sure,  he  looks 
upon  your  union  with  Stephanie  more  in  the  light  of  a 
necessary  political  event  than  anything  else,  but  I  am 
bound  to  consider  the  other  side  of  the  question,  which 
is  your  home  life,  your  ultimate  happiness — in  a  word, 
your  entire  future.     Now,  Stephanie   is  not,  and  never 

169 


TEE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

will  be,  the  wife  for  you ;  she  is  fond  of  admiration,  of 
power,  and  of  domination,  and  what  is  more,  instead  of 
looking  upon  religion  as  a  means  of  making  our  sojourn 
here  below  less  arduous  and  painful  than  it  else  might 
be,  she  closes  her  eyes  to  all  the  true  beauty  of  the 
Catholic  faith,  and  simply  follows  its  strictest  precepts 
in  a  spirit  of  defiance,  one  would  almost  think,  and 
just  as  a  child  recites  a  piece  of  poetry  learned  by  rote, 
the  true  sense  of  which  it  neither  comprehends  nor 
assimilates ! " 

These  conversations  took  place  many  and  many  a  time, 
and  the  Empress  and  her  son  gave  vent  to  their  feelings 
in  the  very  same  fashion,  time  after  time,  without  any 
appreciable  result  on  either  side,  for  matters  had  already 
gone  too  far  to  allow  the  Crown-prince  to  be  sufficiently 
influenced  by  them  to  retreat  from  the  now  fully  adopted 
course ;  and  as  to  the  Empress,  although  she  told  me 
regularly  after  each  of  these  encounters  that  she  well 
knew  how  futile  her  objections  had  become,  yet  she 
seemed  impelled  by  some  inner  force  to  give  expression 
to  them.  As  subsequent  events  have  shown,  it  would 
have  been  far  better  had  her  wishes  in  the  matter  been 
treated  with  more  regard.  Her  keen  intuition  served 
her  in  good  stead  when  she  so  bitterly  opposed  this 
marriage,  which  brought  in  its  train  a  succession  of 
catastrophies,  miseries,  and  tragedies,  unparalleled  in 
history. 

The  Emperor  and  his  counsellors  had  their  way,  and 
at  last  the  time  for  the  wedding  was  fixed,  and  the 
parents  of  the  bride,  with  their  daughter,  made  their 
entrance  into  Vienna.  During  the  ceremonies  and 
popular  rejoicings  which  preceded  the  great  day,  Eliza- 
beth, although  acting  her  part  as  mother  of  the  bride- 
groom  and   hostess   of  one   of   the    grandest   courts   of 

170 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Europe  to  perfection,  as  she  did  everything  else,  could 
not  succeed  in  shaking  off  the  deep  and  lasting  melan- 
choly which  seemed  to  have  settled  upon  her.  Her 
distant,  even  icy  behaviour  towards  her  future  daughter- 
in-law,  as  well  as  towards  King  Leopold  and  Queen 
Henrietta  of  Belgium,  was  so  marked  that  it  was  noticed 
by  everybody. 

The  prelude  of  the  wedding  entertainments  was  a 
popular  festival  in  the  Prater,  and  was  certainly  one 
of  the  most  magnificent  sights  of  the  kind  ever  seen. 
Thousands  upon  thousands  thronged  the  immense  park, 
which  had  at  that  moment  just  put  on  all  its  spring 
loveliness.  The  delicate  shade  of  the  budding  branches, 
the  deep  green  mosses  stretching  like  velvet  under  the 
grand  old  trees,  the  azure,  sunlit  sky,  and  the  millions 
of  blossoming  violets,  primroses,  and  narcissus  which 
peeped  forth  evervAvhere,  made  a  fitting  background 
for  this  bridal  fete,  and  the  long  road  from  Schonbrunn 
to  the  Prater  was  lined  by  row  upon  row  of  spectators 
who  had  come  from  all  parts  of  the  empire  to  obtain  a 
glimpse  of  the  gorgeous  procession,  headed  by  the 
royalties  and  consisting  of  sixty-two  court  equipages, 
which  wended  its  way  through  the  much  beflagged  and 
oriflammed  allies.  The  luxury  displayed  on  that  day 
can  be  better  imagined  than  described.  The  equipages 
were  marvellous,  the  horses  the  best  and  finest  contained 
in  the  imperial  stables,  and  the  gala  liveries,  as  well  as 
the  toilettes  of  the  ladies  and  the  glittering  uniforms 
of  the  men  present,  made  up  an  unrivalled  coup  d'oeil. 
In  the  foremost  carriage  were  Prince  De  La-Tour-et- 
Taxis,  Grand  Equerry  of  the  Empire,  and  Prince  Hohen- 
lohe,  then  Grand  Master  of  the  Court.  In  the  second 
carnage  were  the  Emperor,  who  wore  the  uniform  of 
a   Belgian   colonel,   and    the  King  of  the   Belgians  in 

171 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Austrian  uniform.  The  other  carriages  were  occupied 
by  the  Empress,  with  the  Queen  of  the  Belgians; 
Crown-prince  Kudolph,  with  his  bride ;  Princess  Victoria 
of  Prussia — now  Dowager  Empress  Frederick  of  Germany 
— with  her  brother  the  Prince  of  Wales ;  Prince  William 
of  Prussia — the  present  Emperor  of  Germany — who 
wore  the  uniform  of  an  Austrian  captain,  with  Arch- 
duchess Gisela;  Prince  Leopold  of  Bavaria,  with  the 
Countess  of  Flanders,  and  the  Grand-duchess  Alice  of 
Tuscany,  etc. 

Empress  Elizabeth,  who  wore  a  dove-gray  moire  gown 
covered  with  priceless  lace  and  a  small  bonnet  wreathed 
with  pale  violets,  looked  so  excessively  young  and  hand- 
some that  it  was  an  impossibility  to  believe  her  to  be 
the  mother  of  the  tall,  manly,  and  athletic  Crown-prince, 
During  the  long  drive  she  hardly  ever  spoke  to  Queen 
Henrietta,  but  sat  very  upright,  bowing  continuously 
to  right  and  left  in  acknowledgment  of  the  cheers  and 
hurrahs  of  the  populace,  but  with  a  look  bordering  on 
absent-mindedness  on  her  fair  features.  The  acclama- 
tions of  the  multitude  became  positively  deafening  as 
the  cortege  reached  the  Prater-stern ;  the  horses  of  the 
advance-guard  could  hardly  proceed,  for  the  people  in 
their  enthusiasm  several  times  broke  through  the  cordon 
of  police,  and  serious  accidents  became  so  probable  that 
the  Emperor  stood  up  in  his  carriage  and  requested  the 
.crowd  to  make  way,  laughing  as  he  did  so  in  his  own 
cheery  way,  and  calling  out  to  them  amid  the  sudden 
silence  which  his  action  had  created : 

"Aber  Kinder,  seien  Sie  dock  nicht  so  dumm,  Sie  wollcn 
die  Hochzeit  dcs  Kronp'inzen  und  nicht  sein  Leichen- 
begdngniss  und  den  Eueren  feiren  !  Geben  Sie  uns  dock 
Baum  zu  atJimcn  !  "  (But,  children,  don't  be  so  foolish. 
It  is  your  Crown-prince's  marriage  which  you  want  to 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

celebrate,  and  not  his  funeral  as  w  ell  as  your  own ;  don't 
smother  us  this  way ! )  Roars  of  laughter  and  more 
hurrahs  were  the  result  of  this  extemporary  speech, 
and  the  good-natured  Viennese  gave  the  example  to 
their  still  more  enthusiastic  brethren  from  Hungary, 
Poland,  Bohemia,  Croatia,  and  elsewhere,  in  rendering 
the  advance  of  the  file  of  equipages  more  possible  and 
less  dangerous. 

In  the  evening  of  that  memorable  day  the  entire 
city  was  illuminated  in  the  most  magnificent  fashion. 
The  night  was  a  singularly  clear  and  beautiful  one,  the 
stars  were  sparkling  in  the  clear  sapphire  skies,  and  the 
multitudes  which  filled  all  the  streets  and  thoroughfares 
were  still  greater  than  during  the  day.  For  many 
nights  and  days  previously  the  hum  of  collecting  people 
and  the  tramp  of  many  feet  had  been  heard  throughout 
the  capital.  People  of  every  stock  and  province  had 
flocked  from  wild  Silesian  forests,  from  remote  Bavarian 
mountains,  from  Moldavian  plains,  and  from  Czeschen 
orchards.  Pyramids  of  gas-jets  flared  up  towards  heaven, 
while  trees  made  entirely  of  small,  burning,  luminous 
leaves  threw  their  glare  upon  the  tall  buildings,  every 
window  of  which  was  outlined  with  garlands  of  multi- 
coloured electric  globes. 

In  front  of  the  numerous  palaces  which  line  the  Ring- 
Strasse,  brightly  tinted  fountains  excited  the  admiration 
of  all  on-lookers,  and  the  Volks-Garten,  the  Stadt-Park, 
and  the  Schwartzenberg-Platz  had  been  turned  into 
fairy-like  places,  upon  which  the  good  burghers  looked 
with  open-mouthed  admiration. 

The  wedding  ceremony,  which  took  place  in  the 
Hofburg-Kappelle,  was  also  one  of  the  most  splendid 
events  on  record.  Unfortunately,  during  the  mass, 
which  was  said   by  the  Prince-Cardinal  of  Vienna,  the 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Empress's  self-control  completely  broke  down,  and  she 
gave  way  to  a  violent  fit  of  weeping.  The  Crown-prince 
looked  anything  but  cheerful,  and  the  Emperor  himself 
was  evidently  in  the  worst  of  humours.  The  many  lights 
burning  in  gold  candelabra,  the  crimson  velvet  draperies, 
and  the  masses  of  blossoming  plants  which  decorated  the 
chapel  could  not  make  up  for  the  impression  of  sorrow 
and  of  loss  which  seemed  to  pervade  the  august  assembly. 
Princess  Stephanie  was  certainly  most  insignificantly 
homely  and  ill  at  ease,  in  spite  of  her  magnificent  dress 
of  white  brocade  thickly  embroidered  with  silver  in  a 
marvellous  design  of  oak  and  laurel  leaves,  myrtle  and 
heather  blossoms.  The  low  bodice  was  covered  with 
silver  filigree  lace,  and  she  wore  a  veil  which  had  been 
presented  to  her  by  the  city  of  Brussels,  and  upon  which 
the  arms  of  Belgium  and  of  Austria  were  woven  in  the 
most  exquisitely  delicate  manner. 

In  spite  of  her  sadness  the  Empress  looked  handsomer 
than  ever.  She  wore  a  pearl-hued  velvet  gown  with  a 
long  square  train  draped  with  antique  Argentan-lace. 
Her  wonderful  hair  was  braided  and  coiled  about  her 
small  patrician  head  in  the  fashion  so  familiar  to  those 
who  knew  her,  and  was  adorned  by  a  pointed  diadem 
of  immense  diamonds  and  emeralds.  In  her  hands  she 
held  a  great  cluster  of  white  orchids,  white  violets,  and 
lilies. 

As  soon  as  she  could  possibly  do  so,  and  very  shortly 
after  the  guests  had  risen  from  the  elaborate  supper, 
which  had  concluded  the  wedding  feast,  Elizabeth 
retired  to  her  private  apartments,  where  a  few  nights 
before  I  had  had  occasion  to  witness  the  really  terrify- 
ing depth  of  her  grief.  It  was  after  one  of  the  magnifi- 
cent fetes  given  in  honour  of  the  young  fiances,  and 
noticing  how  pale  and  wan  she  looked,  I  followed  her 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

to  her  room,  well  aware  that  she  stood  in  sore  need  of 
a  sympathetic  listener. 

On  that  occasion,  after  having  had  the  weight  of  her 
court-train  and  jewels  removed  by  her  women,  she  closed 
the  door,  and  without  a  word  began  to  pace  the  floor 
like  a  caged  tigress  in  her  incontrollable  agitation. 
It  was  very  rare  that  the  Empress  thus  gave  way  to 
her  emotion,  but  when  she  did  so  the  full  force  of  her 
indomitable  nature  became  apparent,  and  revealed  a 
depth  of  feeling  which  her  usually  calm  and  self- 
contained  demeanour  gave  one  no  reason  whatsoever 
to  believe  that  she  possessed.  I  knew  her  well  enough 
not  to  fall  into  the  error  of  offering  any  consolation 
or  even  of  making  any  kind  of  remark,  and  so  I  sat 
([uietly  before  the  fire  which  had  been  lighted  in  her 
sleeping  apartment — the  nights  being  still  cold — gazing 
abstractedly  into  the  leaping  flames,  and  thinking 
within  myself  that  the  fate  of  the  high  and  mighty  is 
not  often  enviable. 

Suddenly  Elizabeth,  with  a  swift  movement,  came 
towards  me,  flung  herself  upon  the  floor,  and,  burying 
her  proud  head  upon  my  knees,  burst  into  an  uncon- 
trollable passion  of  tears.  Like  the  goose  that  I  have 
always  been,  instead  of  attempting  to  soothe  her  I  was 
so  terrified  and  pained  by  this  unusual  display  of  sorrow 
that  I  knew  no  better  than  to  follow  suit,  so  there  we 
both  sobbed  our  hearts  out  in  the  most  undignified 
manner,  as  if  we  had  lost  all  that  made  life  worth  living 
I  >r  !  Alter  a  while,  and  when  a  little  calm  had  succeeded 
the  tempest,  Elizabeth  rose,  and  wiping  her  eyes  with 
her  poor  little  handkerchief,  which  had  by  now  beni 
reduced  to  the  state  of  a  wet  sponge,  she  stroked  m\ 
hair  and  said,  softly  : 

"You  are  a  good  sympathizer,  and  perhaps  the  onlj 

175 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

woman  on  earth  who  forbears  from  talking  when  words 
would  be  but  added  torture." 

"  That  does  not  prevent  me  from  doing  a  deal  of 
thinking,"  I  replied,  smiling  faintly  through  my  own 
tears,  "and  also  from  being  ready  to  curse  very  freely 
all  those  who  bring  about  anything  that  hurts  you,  who 
deserve  nothing  but  joy  and  happiness." 

"  All  that  I  can  say,  if  this  is  the  case,"  rejoined  the 
Empress,  "is  that  I  do  not  get  my  deserts,  for  life  has 
not  been  dealing  very  kindly  with  me,  especially  lately. 
Mark  my  words  :  this  business  will  bring  untold  misery ; 
that  girl  is  no  more  fit  than  a  wooden  doll  to  be  Rudi's 
companion.  She  has  no  heart ;  she  has  not  even  beauty 
— a  quality  upon  which  all  Hapsburgs  set,  as  you  know, 
an  inordinate  amount  of  value.  I  am  not  blinded  by 
my  love  for  my  boy — she  cannot  keep  him  straight ! 
I  do  not  even  say  that  he  will  get  weary  of  her,  for  to 
state  this  would  be  to  admit  that  he  has  at  any  moment 
been  in  love  with  her.  But,  dear  me,  how  her  ways  and 
manners — or  lack  of  manners,  if  you  prefer  it  so —  will 
pall  upon  him !  How  soon  he  will  become  exasperated 
by  her  complaints,  her  childish  exactions,  and  her 
monotonous,  narrow-minded  ideas  !  Do  you  think  for  an 
instant  that  he  can  stand  an  existence  such  as  she  will 
make  for  him  ?  She  is  jealous  ;  I  have  noticed  it  myself, 
and  her  sister  Louise  has  told  me  as  much.  Now  what 
do  you  suppose  is  going  to  happen  when  she  learns, 
which  she  will  surely  do  soon,  that  he  does  not  love  her, 
and,  possibly,  that  he  has  become  interested  in  some  other 
woman  ?  " 

I  shook  my  head;  there  was  indeed  nothing  to 
answer  to  such  logic,  yet  I  felt  so  heartily  sorry  for 
the  Empress  that  I  tried,  perhaps  clumsily,  to  show 
her  the  future  in  less  sombre  colours. 

176 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

"He  is  such  a  dear  boy,"  I  said;  "he  would  not 
hurt  a  fly,  much  less  his  own  wife,  and  she  is  not  very 
intelligent,  if  you  will  pardon  me  for  saying  so,  not 
very  clear-sighted  either;  self-love  and  self-admiration 
are  difficult  armours  to  pierce,  and  she  possesses  both 
to  an  extraordinary  degree.  I  am  quite  sure  that  the 
last  thing  that  she  Avill  think  of  is  that  she  is  not  the 
central  figure  of  the  universe.  Her  empty  little  head 
has  been  completely  turned  by  becoming  the  wife  of 
the  heir  to  the  throne  of  Austro-Hungary,  and  by  the 
time  that  she  awakes  from  her  present  dreams  she  will 
have,  let  us  hope,  gained  sufficient  knowledge  of  the 
world  to  realize  what  is  due  to  her  rank  and  position, 
and  to  avoid  bourgeois  scenes  or  public  scandals.  Trust 
to  her  singularly  well-developed  secheresse  de  cosur  to 
render  her  perfectly  satisfied  with  being  the  Crown  - 
princess,  instead  of  fretting  herself  about  the  Crown- 
prince's  possible  coldness  or  indifference." 

"Nay,  nay,  you  do  not  show  your  usual  insight  into 
human  nature,  my  dear!"  petulantly  exclaimed  the 
Empress.  "  She  will,  on  the  contrary,  make  many  serious 
scenes.  She  has  pride,  but  not  of  the  best  kind ;  it  is  a 
vainglorious  kind  of  a  pride,  and  it  will  not  come  to  her 
assistance  when  she  has  wounds  to  conceal.  It  will  all 
crumble  to  dust,  and  cause  her  to  forget  entirely  that 
(jueens  and  empresses  must  carry  their  sorrows  within 
themselves,  and  not  show  them  forth  to  a  public  always 
eager  to  see  them  writhe  and  smart  under  the  common 
agonies  and  every-day  sorrows  common  to  all  womankind." 

There  was  no  denying  this !  Time  has  shown  that 
every  word  pronounced  by  the  Empress  on  that  night 
was  wellnigh  prophetic,  and  that  she  had,  with  her  extra- 
ordinary cleverness,  read  her  daughter-in-law's  charactei 
to  n  nicet\ . 

177  v 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

There  was  one  person  at  the  Austrian  court  who 
thoroughly  understood  and  appreciated  the  anxiety- 
displayed  by  the  Empress  with  regard  to  the  Crown- 
prince's  marriage,  and  who  also  thoroughly  mistrusted 
the  possibility  of  his  future  happiness  with  Stephanie. 
That  was  old  Archduke  Albrecht,  the  uncle  of  the 
Emperor,  and  one  of  the  few  persons  who  always  did 
justice  to  Elizabeth's  merits,  intelligence,  and  loftiness 
of  purpose.  There  was  not  a  more  popular  man  in  the 
Austro-Hungarian  army,  nor  in  the  length  and  breadth 
of  the  dual  empire,  than  the  Archduke.  Kind-hearted 
to  a  fault,  and  of  a  shrewdness  which  was  coupled  with  an 
extraordinary  amount  of  finesse  and  wit,  he  was  beloved 
wherever  he  went.  At  the  end  of  the  seventies  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  counting  the  Archduke  as  one  of  my  guests 
during  the  great  Galician  military  manoeuvres,  and  I 
became  then  more  than  ever  imbued  with  the  feeling  that 
he  was  what  can  be  truly  called  une  dme  d'elite.  Indeed, 
I  loved  and  reverenced  him  so  much  that  I  cannot  resist 
the  temptation  of  saying  a  few  words  especially  concern- 
ing him,  as  a  kind  of  homage  to  his  memory. 

Up  every  morning  at  half-past  four  o'clock,  the  Gene- 
ralissimo was  on  the  manoeuvring  field  at  five,  his  quick 
eye  taking  in  at  a  glance  the  strong  or  the  weak  points 
of  regiment  after  regiment.  I  delighted  in  accompanying 
my  august  guest  on  these  expeditions,  and  could  not  but 
wonder  at  the  remarkably  diplomatic  way  in  which  he 
managed,  when  his  interference  was  needed,  not  alone 
his  staff  of  officers,  but  also  every  man  present. 

I  remember  that  one  day  he  had  reason  to  be  dis- 
satisfied with  the  corps  of  drummers  belonging  to  one 
of  the  infantry  regiments  of  General  Count  Mensdorf  s 
brigade.  Galloping  up  to  where  they  stood,  drumming 
away  for  dear  life,  the  Archduke  brought  his  charger  to 

178 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

;i  dead  stop  right  in  front  of  them,  and,  beckoning  to 
the  tanibonr-major,  said,  with  a  smile :  "  These  men  of 
yours  can't  drum,  my  lad ! "  The  man,  with  an  awe- 
stricken  face,  stood  at  attention,  unable  in  the  extremity 
of  his  confusion  to  utter  a  single  word  of  apology  or 
explanation.  The  smile  deepened  on  the  usually  rather 
stern  face  of  the  Archduke,  and  jumping  from  his  horse 
he  seized  hold  of  the  drum  held  by  one  of  the  men 
nearest  to  him,  and  without  further  ado  executed  so 
masterly  a  charge  of  rat-tat-tats  that  the  very  trees 
echoed  again !  After  fully  five  minutes  of  this  superb 
performance  the  old  field-marshal  stopped  as  abruptly 
as  he  had  begun,  and  handing  the  still  quivering 
instrument  to  its  amazed  owner,  once  more  mounted 
his  horse,  exclaiming  as  he  galloped  away :  "  That  is 
the  way  one  ought  to  drum ! "  From  that  day  the 
<lrummer-corps  of  that  regiment  became  certainly  the 
best  in  Austria. 

Archduke  Albrecht  was  a  passionate  student.  He 
spoke  Heaven  only  knows  how  many  languages,  and  was 
bo  well  versed  in  the  manifold  dialects  used  throughout 
his  nephew's  empire  that  he  was  able  to  converse  with 
Hungarians,  Poles,  Slovacks,  Czechen,  Bosniaks,  etc.,  as 
glibly  as  with  Germans.  His  wealth  was  almost  boundless, 
l>ut  so  was  his  charity,  and  many  were  the  good  deeds 
accomplished  by  him  in  secret,  especially  at  Vienna. 

In  1879  I  had  undertaken  to  supervise  twice  a  week 
one  of  the  volkskuehen  (people's  kitchens),  to  which  I 
have  referred  already  in  this  volume.  One  fine  morning 
1  noticed  a  rather  seedy-looking  individual  who  entered 
the  hall,  and  sitting  down  at  one  end  of  a  small  table 
ordered  a  "portion"  of  soup  and  beef  from  one  of  the 
ladies  in  attendance.  A  twinkle  of  merriment  came  into 
my  eyes,  fur  at  one  glance  I  had  recognized  Archduke 

179 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Albrecht,  the  owner  of  more  millions  than  he  could 
well  count.  Anxious  to  see  the  fun  out,  I  brought 
the  coarse  plate  and  cup  myself  to  the  corner  where 
Emperor  Franz- Joseph's  uncle  sat,  and  handed  them  to 
him  with  the  utmost  impassibility.  He  seemed  some- 
what embarrassed,  and  looked  diffidently  up  at  me 
through  his  spectacles.  Not  a  muscle  of  my  counte- 
nance relaxed,  and  with  a  slight  nod  I  walked  away, 
watching,  however,  from  my  corner  how  this  poor  man's 
fare  would  please  the  archducal  palate.  I  may  add 
that  the  entire  "portion"  was  consumed  without  a  single 
sign  of  distaste  being  manifested,  and  that  at  the  end 
of  this  frugal  repast  his  imperial  and  royal  highness 
rubbed  his  moustache  and  finger-tips  on  his  handkerchief 
just  as  unconcernedly  as  any  other  habitue  of  the  volks- 
huche.  As  for  me  I  went  about  my  duties  seemingly 
unaware  of  the  keen  look  which  he  occasionally  shot  at 
me  from  under  his  bushy  white  eyebrows.  At  last  he 
rose  and  prepared  to  go,  but,  as  if  suddenly  altering  his 
mind,  he  walked  up  to  me,  and  drawing  me  to  one  side, 
said,  gently : 

"  You  have  recognized  me  in  spite  of  my  attempt 
at  disguising  myself,  so  I  might  as  well  tell  you  that  I 
sometimes  come  here  in  order  to  see  whether  the  food 
is  what  it  ought  to  be."  Then  he  added:  "Do  you  not 
think  that  on  this  cold  morning  some  hot  coffee  with 
plenty  of  milk  and  sugar  would  be  a  pleasant  addition 
to  the  dinner  of  all  these  poor  devils  ?  " 

I  laughed  a  ready  acquiescence,  and  ten  minutes 
later  a  small  notice  placarded  at  the  entrance  of  the 
Icuche  informed  the  delighted  customers  that  in  considera- 
tion of  the  unusual  severity  of  the  weather,  hot  coffee 
was  to  be  distributed  without  extra  charge  during  the 
entire  course  of  the  day. 

180 


TILE    MARTYRDOM    OF   AN    EMPRESS 

Poor  Archduke  Albrecht !     In  the  midst  of  all  his 

wealth   he   was   yet   to  he  deeply  pitied,  for  he  never 

recovered  from  the  blow  inflicted  many  years  ago  by  the 

tragic  death  of  his  lovely  and  beloved  daughter.     The 

young  Archduchess,  like  Empress  Elizabeth  herself,  was 

extremely   fond   of  smoking   cigarettes,   but   her  lungs 

being  somewhat  delicate  her  otherwise  indulgent  father 

had   forbidden   her   to   smoke.      One    evening    she   was 

enjoying  on  the  sly  a  tiny  cigarette,  and  in  order  that 

the  smell  of  the  fragrant  herb  should  not  betray  her,  she 

was  leaning  out  of  the  window  of  her  boudoir.     Suddenly 

catching  sight  of  her  father,  who  was  walking  in  the 

palace   gardens   below,   she   hid    the   burning   cigarette 

behind  her  back,  while  answering  some  remark  which  he 

addressed  to  her,  quite  unconscious  of  the  fact  that  she 

had  set  fire  to  her  vaporous  gauze  dinner-gown.     In  a 

few  seconds  she  was  literally  wrapped  in  flames — flames 

which  were  rendered  more  murderously  violent  by  her 

running  from  the  room  in  an  agony  of  fear.     Burned  in 

the  most  shocking  fashion,  the  young  Princess  lingered 

but  a  few  days  in  the  most  horrible  bodily  torture.     The 

accident  having  happened  at  Schonbrunn,  she  was  carried 

back  to  Vienna  in  a  bath-tub  full  of  oil,  it  being  her 

whim  to  die  at  her  own  dear  home.     The  most  skilful 

doctors  tried  all  that  could  be  done  to  save  her,  but  it 

was  of  no  avail,  and  the  charming  girl,  so  dear  to  all, 

succumbed  in  her  father's  arms,  entreating  him  to  the 

very  last  to  forgive  her  disobedience  of  his  orders. 

There  was,  in  spite  of  this  great  sorrow,  a  vein  of 
humour  in  the  Archduke's  composition  much  appreciated 
by  the  essentially  jovial  Austrian  people,  and  like  his 
nephew,  the  Emperor,  he  enjoyed  a  good  joke,  even  when 
it  was  at  his  own  expense,  quite  hugely ! 

Very     fond     of    hunting    and    shooting,    Archduke 

181 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Albrecht  made  a  point  of  spending  a  couple  of  months 
of  every  summer  in  one  of  the  numerous  villas  which 
he  owned  in  the  Tyrol  and  Upper  Austria ;  and  when 
there  he  was  indefatigable  in  the  pursuit  of  the  fleet- 
footed  chamois.  On  these  occasions  he  wore  the  cus- 
tomary yoppc,  or  hunter's  uniform,  of  gray  cloth  pxxsse- 
poiled  with  green,  the  soft  felt  hat  adorned  with  a 
chamois-beard,  and  the  tall  leathern  gaiters  of  the 
ordinary  Tyrolese  mountaineer.  Truth  forces  me,  more- 
over, to  state  that  as  a  general  rule  these  garments 
were  somewhat  the  worse  for  wear,  and  that  there  was 
nothing  "  dudish "  about  the  appearance  of  the  hero  of 
Custozza. 

Viennese  society  still  laughs  abuut  a  little  adventure 
which  occurred  to  him  when  returning  from  a  hunting 
expedition  in  the  mountains  above  Ischl.  Through 
some  extraordinary  chance  the  Archduke  had  wandered 
from  his  party,  and  losing  his  way  among  the  narrow 
wooded  paths  descending  to  the  valley,  he  determined 
to  reach  the  first  yager  hut  which  he  could  succeed  in 
finding  by  himself.  Quickening  his  pace,  he  hurried  on 
in  the  gathering  gloom,  until  he  reached  a  steep  incline 
covered  with  slippery  grass.  A  little  ahead  of  him  he 
soon  discerned  a  dark  figure  seemingly  heavily  laden. 
Wishing  to  inquire  his  way  home,  he  hailed  the  unknown 
in  a  stentorian  voice,  and  the  figure  came  to  a  stop.  To 
his  surprise  the  Archduke  found  that  it  was  that  of  a 
young  girl  of  nineteen  or  twenty  years  of  age,  who,  with 
the  usual  pluck  of  the  Austrian  peasant  woman,  had 
burdened  herself  with  a  gigantic  load  of  firewood,  on 
top  of  which  was  perched  a  chubby  baby  about  two 
years  old,  who  maintained  his  perilous  equilibrium  hy 
means  of  a  long  scarf  tied  by  his  careful  mother  around 
his  fat  little  body  and  her  own  neck. 

182 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  cried  the  girl,  scanning  the 
belated  hunter  with  anything  but  a  friendly  look. 

"  Can  you  tell  me  the  shortest  road  down  to  Ischl  ?  " 
replied  the  Archduke. 

"I  am  going  there — you  can  follow  me,"  she  retorted, 
curtly. 

Accepting  this  rather  ungracious  invitation,  the  impe- 
rial sportsman  resumed  his  way  beside  her,  but  his  sense 
of  courtesy  making  him  feel  annoyed  at  seeing  a  woman 
carrying  so  exaggerated  a  weight,  he  said,  pleasantly — 

"This  is  far  too  heavy  for  you,  my  good  girl.  Give 
me  that  child ;  I  will  carry  him." 

"Much  you  must  know  about  carrying  children,  you 
old  fool !  "  politely  exclaimed  the  girl.  "  No,  you  take 
the  firewood  and  I  will  keep  the  youngster.  You  may 
well  do  that,  for  had  you  not  met  me  you'd  have  run 
a  good  chance  of  spending  your  entire  night  on  the 
mountains." 

Hardly  able  to  repress  his  amazement,  the  Archduke 
undid  the  scarf,  transferred  the  little  urchin  to  his 
mother's  arms  and  the  ponderous  bundle  of  faggots  to 
his  own  shoulders,  and  what  with  his  gun  and  his  game- 
bag,  he  was  a  pretty  heavily  burdened  Archduke 
indeed !  To  add  insult  to  injury,  the  girl  continued  to 
chaff  him  unmercifully  about  the  comical  appearance  he 
presented,  and,  as  he  later  on  asserted,  he  soon  became 
a  little  tired  of  his  bargain. 

For  a  full  hour  he  trudged  wearily  along,  wishing 
himself  anywhere  but  among  the  high  mountains  with  a 
load  of  wood  on  his  back ;  but  at  last  relief  arrived  in 
the  shape  of  his  party,  which  came  upon  the  ill-assorted 
couple  at  the  crossing  of  two  paths.  No  pen  could 
describe,  or  pencil  portray,  the  amazement  of  the  hunters 
ut  seeing  their  august  master  thus  accoutred,  and  their 

183 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

exclamations  betrayed  the  Archduke's  identity  to  the 
appalled  girl.  Falling  on  her  knees,  she  craved  his 
pardon  for  the  crime  of  lese-majeste  which  she  had  un- 
wittingly committed,  and  tears  of  shame  sprang  to  her 
bonny  blue  eyes  as  she  watched  two  of  the  Prince's 
hunters  remove  the  faggots  from  his  bruised  shoulders. 

"  Don't  cry,  there's  a  good  girl,"  pleaded  Albrecht, 
much  distressed.  "You  did  quite  right,  and  I  am 
mighty  glad  to  have  met  you  to  show  me  the  way ! " 
So  saying,  he  lifted  the  girl  from  the  ground,  and 
pulling  a  well-filled  purse  from  his  pocket,  he  pressed 
it  into  the  baby's  wee  hands,  adding,  with  a  kindly 
smile :  "  Here  is  something  to  buy  your  mammy  a 
donkey,  for  she  might  not  always  find  old  fools  to  help 
her  carry  her  firewood  !  " 

Stephanie  is  the  only  person  with  whom  I  have  ever 
seen  him  act  in  a  curt  and  abrupt  manner.  He  could 
not  endure  her,  and  fled  her  presence  with  an  amusing 
display  of  energy ;  and  when  matters  came  to  a  crisis 
between  her  and  Eudi,  I  know  that  in  his  heart  he 
unhesitatingly  sided  with  his  great-nephew. 

During  the  summer  which  followed  her  son's  marriage 
the  Empress  seemed  absolutely  unable  to  shake  off  her 
melancholy  forebodings,  and  it  was  only  when  she  went 
to  Godollo  that  the  free  and  invigorating  country  life 
which  she  led  there  restored  in  a  measure  her  much- 
shaken  health  and  her  peace  of  mind.  Her  piety,  which 
was  always  great,  although  she  spoke  as  little  about  it 
as  about  all  other  of  her  deepest  feelings,  became  even 
greater.  Every  morning  she  attended  mass  at  five 
o'clock,  and  then  after  a  very  summary  breakfast  she 
mounted  her  horse  and  galloped  off  through  the  mag- 
nificent park,  which  is  traversed  in  every  direction  by 
broad,  sandy  avenues. 

134 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

A  mishap  which  occurred  to  one  of  her  favourite 
hunters  at  that  time  took,  in  her  eyes,  almost  the 
proportions  of  an  irretrievable  catastrophe.  Her  nerves 
had  become  so  unstrung  that  she  had  no  longer  the 
same  power  of  recuperation  which  she  had  possessed  for 
so  many  years.  The  accident  to  which  I  am  about  to 
refer  may  give  the  measure  of  her  softness  of  heart, 
even  where  animals  were  concerned. 

We  were  riding  alone  together  over  a  narrow  path 
in  the  glad  light  of  a  beautiful  autumn  morning.  A 
thunderstorm  during  the  night  had  purified  and  cooled 
the  air,  the  trees  and  bushes  were  still  sparkling  with 
moisture,  and  the  dew-drops  on  the  flower-filled  grass 
glittered  like  countless  gems  in  the  sun-rays,  while  a 
host  of  little  birds  were  twittering  and  singing  in  sweet, 
abrupt  gushes  in  the  branches  overhead.  My  chestnut 
mare,  "Black  Pearl,"  A\as  close  to  Elizabeth's  magnifi- 
cent hunter,  "  Sir  Launcelot."  I  noticed  with  regret 
that  the  Empress  seemed  singularly  dejected,  and 
resolving  to  arouse  her  and  dispel  her  gloomy  thoughts, 
I  said,  briskly,  "Come,  your  Majesty,  let's  have  a 
gallop;  it  will  do  us  all  the  good  in  the  world,  and 
4  Sir  Launcelot '  is  dying  for  it." 

The  Empress,  who  understood  my  motives  perfectly, 
replied  with  a  smile — 

"  All  right,  dear,  let's  go  ahead,"  touching  her  hunter 
slightly  with  her  spur  as  she  spoke.  Off  we  went,  "Sir 
Launcelot"  laying  his  length  out  in  his  mighty  strides, 
and  my  pretty  chestnut  racing  her  best  by  his  side. 
They  dashed  neck  to  neck  on  the  damp  moss  at  a  rattling 
pace,  breaking  straight  for  the  open.  Literally  we  were 
racing.  The  pace  became  tremendous  as  we  reached  the 
short  grass  of  the  ruszt;i.  Here  a  high  fence  towered, 
there  a  brook  rushed  angrily,  but  we  stopped  at  nothing; 

L85 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

and  both  horses,  their  mettle  roused,  needed  no  touch 
of  stick  or  spur,  and  rose  in  the  air  with  bounds  that 
knew  no  obstacles. 

"  Take  care ! "  I  cried,  suddenly  catching  sight  of  a 
broad,  brawling  brook  running  between  two  steep  banks. 
The  Empress  only  tossed  her  head ;  such  dangers  as  that 
which  just  lay  before  her  she  enjoyed  more  than  anything 
else,  especially  when  in  her  present  mood.  The  jump 
was  an  awkward  one,  with  a  bad  take-off,  and  an  ugly 
mud-bank  for  a  landing ;  the  water  was  swollen  by  the 
recent  storm,  and  the  turf  was  sloppy  and  soft  as  a 
sponge.  At  that  particular  place  it  was  risking  life 
and  limb  to  try  it,  but  unhesitatingly  she  worked  her 
horse  up  and  charged  towards  it.  "  Sir  Launcelot "  was 
over  like  a  bird,  and  I  landed  "Black  Pearl"  by  a 
beautiful  clear  spring  after  him  by  a  couple  of  lengths. 
On  we  rode,  tearing  across  country  for  a  mile  and  a 
half;  at  last  we  dashed  into  a  field  breathless,  but 
having  almost  forgotten  our  troubles  in  the  excitement 
of  the  moment.  Checking  her  hunter,  the  Empress 
sprang  to  the  ground  with  a  merry  laugh,  while  I,  with 
a  contented    smile,   murmured,     "  That   was   a   ringing 

run! 

Elizabeth  flung  her  arms  around  the  glossy  neck  of 
"Sir  Launcelot"  and  kissed  his  velvety  nose.  "Is  he 
not  a  beauty ! "  said  she,  exultingly,  leaning  against 
the  horse's  side  and  patting  his  shining  mane.  He  was, 
indeed,  not  a  very  large  horse,  but  with  grace  in  every 
line — a  small  head,  delicately  tapered  ears,  slender  legs, 
and  large,  intelligent  eyes.  The  horse  now  stood  alert, 
every  fibre  of  his  body  strung  to  pleasurable  excitement 
as  the  voice  he  loved  best  said,  fondly — 

"  You  dear  old  rascal,  that  was  well  done ! "  They 
made  a  lovely  picture,  horse  and  rider,  thus  together, 

186 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

the  beautiful  woman,  her  eyes  still  flashing  with  pleasure, 
her  cheeks  suffused  with  delicate  pink  by  the  rapidity 
of  the  pace,  and  her  lovely  figure  set  off  to  perfection 
by  her  short,  dark  habit,  leaning  against  the  handsome 
steeple-chaser. 

A  few  minutes  later  we  were  away  again,  racing 
once  more  on  the  slightly  undulating  plain,  leaping 
over  blackthorn  hedges  into  sloppy  green  meadows, 
over  angry  little  brooks  gurgling  amid  banks  of  rushes. 
Truly  we  had  become  intoxicated  with  the  rapidity  of 
our  motion.  The  Empress  "  showed  the  way."  Half  an 
hour  had  gone  by  in  that  splendid  running  without  a 
single  check,  in  a  speed  like  lightning,  past  clusters  of 
brown-stemmed  bushes  and  hedges  bright  with  scarlet 
berries,  while  far  away  before  our  eyes  stretched  the 
blue  haze  of  limitless  distance,  and  above  our  heads  a 
flight  of  cranes  was  making  for  the  south.  We  had 
loosened  our  horses  to  their  full  will  and  their  full 
speed ;  we  had  only  to  leave  it  to  the  gallant  tempers 
and  the  generous  fires  that  were  in  them  to  make  them 
hold  their  own.  All  at  once  water  gleamed  before  us, 
this  time  wider,  brown,  swollen,  and  rushing  fast. 
"  Black  Pearl "  and  "  Sir  Launcelot "  scented  it  from 
afar,  and  went  on  with  ears  pointed  and  greyhound 
strides,  gathering  up  all  their  force  for  the  leap  that 
was  before  them.  Perhaps  in  our  enthusiasm  we  had 
become  oblivious  of  the  fact  that  the  pace  had  been 
too  rapid  a  one,  even  for  perfect  hunters,  and  instinct- 
ively, as  I  noticed  the  alarming  breadth  of  the  "yawner," 
1  checked  my  horse  slightly.  "  Sir  Launcelot,"  however, 
rose  blindly  to  the  jump  and  missed  the  slippery  bank. 
With  a  reel  and  a  crash,  to  my  horror,  the  Empress 
was  hurled  out  into  the  brook,  and  the  magnificent 
hunter  lay  there  with  his  breast  and  forelegs  resting  on 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

the  ground,  his  hindquarters  in  the  water,  and  his 
back  broken.     His  race  was  run  ! 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  I  was  off  my  horse  in  a 
second  and  helping  the  Empress,  who  was  drenched 
with  water  and  mud,  up  the  bank.  Her  face  was  start- 
lingly  pale,  but  she  seemed  physically  unhurt.  She 
staggered  to  where  the  horse  that  she  loved  so  well  was 

Do 

undergoing  the  throes  of  a  last  agony,  and  kneeling 
down,  regardless  of  the  water  which  swirled  about  her,  she 
threw  her  arms  over  his  neck  and  leaned  her  own  head 
down  upon  his,  so  that  her  face  was  entirely  hidden.  She 
knelt  so  long,  thus  motionless,  that  a  fear  of  her  having 
fainted  began  to  creep  into  my  heart,  and  I  touched  her 
on  the  shoulder.  She  did  not  move  for  a  little  while 
longer,  and  when  she  at  last  raised  her  face  the  silken 
mane  of  the  horse  was  wet  with  great,  slow  tears  that 
had  forced  themselves  through  her  closed  eyelids;  then 
she  laid  her  lips  on  "Sir  Launcelot's"  forehead  just  as 
if  he  had  been  a  human  being,  and  with  a  backward 
gesture  of  her  hand  to  me  she  walked  off  rapidly. 

Surely  there  have  been  many  idols  less  pure  and 
true  than  the  brave  and  loyal-hearted  beast  to  which 
she  had  just  said  an  eternal  good-bye.  Dragging 
"  Black  Pearl,"  who  was  quivering  and  shaking  all  over, 
by  her  bridle,  I  followed  Elizabeth,  entreating  her  to 
mount  my  horse  so  that  she  might  get  back  quicker  to 
the  castle,  where  she  would  be  able  to  change  her  sodden 
clothes.  A  shake  of  the  head  was  all  the  answer  that 
she  gave  me,  and  seeing  that  to  urge  my  plea  would  be 
but  to  hurt  her  more,  I  continued  to  walk  by  her  side 
without  saying  another  word.  Of  our  long  tramp  back 
to  the  imperial  residence  I  will  say  but  little,  although 
it  has  remained  in  my  mind  as  one  of  the  most  painful 
moments  of  my  none  too  agreeable  existence. 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

This  new  sorrow  seemed  to  cast  a  deeper  gloom  upon 
the  Empress,  and  we  departed  from  Hungary  a  few  days 
later  to  spend  some  weeks  at  Ischl,  where  we  all  hoped 
that  the  pure  mountain  air,  which  she  loved  so  much, 
would  help  her  to  shake  off  her  persistent  despondency. 

Ischl  is  one  of  the  prettiest  and  sweetest  places  in 
this  world.  It  is  calm,  sedate,  and  simple  ;  its  mornings 
are  radiant,  and  so  are  its  evenings,  when  the  moon 
climbs  over  the  heights  of  the  pine-clad  mountains  and 
shines  delightfully  on  the  green  ripples  of  the  rapid 
little  river  Traun. 

The  sadness  which  had  overtaken  Elizabeth  was  not 
of  a  kind  from  which  her  entourage,  had  to  suffer.  She 
was  too  considerate,  too  truly  kind  to  cast  her  own 
sorrows  upon  others,  and  her  sweet,  patient  smile  was 
always  given  to  those  whom  she  loved.  Her  indomitable 
courage,  both  moral  and  physical,  was  really  a  thing  to 
be  marvelled  at ;  for  it  never  flinched.  This  has  been 
well  proved  by  the  fact  that  at  the  last  she  could  walk 
aboard  the  steamer  at  Geneva  without  betraying  to  any 
one  the  fact  that  her  poor  weary  heart  had  just  been 
pierced  by  the  foul  weapon  of  an  assassin.  The  press 
reports  argued  at  the  time  that  she  herself  was  not 
conscious  of  this,  but  I  knew  her  better  than  that,  and 
I  realized  fully  that  her  inveterate  hatred  of  any  fuss, 
or  of  attracting  attention  upon  herself,  alone  held  her 
upright  then,  until  she  fell  to  rise  no  more. 

So  strong  was  that  feeling  with  her  that  it  made 
her  consider  being  pitied  as  almost  akin  to  being 
shamed. 

During  the  sojourn  which  we  made  at  Ischl  that 
year,  an  incident  took  place  which  is  an  excellent  illus- 
tration of  the  Empress's  powers  of  endurance,  and  which 
to  this  day  I  verily  believe  is  known  to  nobody.     It 

189 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

still  stands  out  as  clearly  in  my  memory  as  if  it  had 
occurred  yesterday. 

Always  an  intrepid  mountaineer,  the  Empress  de- 
lighted in  climbing  well-nigh  inaccessible  heights.  Her 
slender,  fair  limbs,  as  strong  as  steel  in  a  velvet  sheath, 
would  carry  her  upward  to  peaks  where  the  yagers  them- 
selves found  it  troublesome  to  go,  but  where  she  main- 
tained that  the  only  air  fit  to  be  inhaled  in  this  wide 
world  of  ours  was  to  be  found. 

Although  not  quite  as  passionately  fond  as  she  her- 
self was  of  these  dizzy  excursions,  nevertheless  I  loved 
her  too  dearly  not  to  accompany  her,  had  the  road  been 
even  far  more  arduous;  and  often  we  would  stay  over- 
night in  these  wild  regions  in  some  chalet  perched  on 
a  ledge  of  rock  at  a  great  altitude. 

On  the  occasion  to  which  I  refer,  we  somehow  or 
other  lost  our  way  on  the  high  mountain  range  which 
towers  above  the  quaint  little  town  of  Ischl.  We  had 
climbed  very  high  up,  and  night  was  falling,  bringing 
with  it  an  extremely  low  temperature.  So  cold,  indeed, 
w7as  it  that  although  we  were  barely  in  autumn,  snow- 
flakes  began  to  drop  like  great  feathery  tufts  from  the 
darkening  sky.  On  and  on  we  struggled,  pausing  from 
time  to  time  to  peer  into  the  gathering  gloom  for  the 
sight  of  some  light,  or  at  least  of  some  familiar  land- 
mark. Finally,  just  as  we  were  despairing  of  getting 
out  of  this  predicament,  the  Empress  pointed  with  her 
alpenstock  to  a  reddish  glow  shining  through  the  in- 
creasing curtain  of  snow,  and  with  renewed  vigour  we 
quickened  our  steps  towards  what  we  knew  to  be  the 
beacon-light  of  a  mountain  refuge. 

We  were  not  disappointed,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we 
had  obtained  admittance  into  the  incommodious  but  to 
us  perfectly  delightful  seclusion  of  the  narrow,  stuffy, 

190 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

closed  shed,  where  we  were  glad  enough  to  take  shelter 
from  the  now  raging  storm.  In  the  most  democratic 
fashion  we  took  our  places  with  some  yagers  and  cow- 
herds around  the  brightly  blazing  stove,  awaiting  with 
what  patience  we  could  muster  the  moment  when  we 
would  be  able  to  turn  our  faces  towards  Ischl. 

Towards  nine  o'clock,  the  wind  having  chased  away 
the  snow-laden  clouds,  the  moon  shone  forth  in  a  purified 
sky,  and  engaging  the  services  of  one  of  the  yagers  as 
a  guide,  we  commenced  our  perilous  descent,  risking 
much  to  avoid  causing  anxiety  at  the  imperial  villa, 
where  her  Majesty  was  expected.  Cautiously  we  advanced 
on  the  slippery  rocks,  holding  on  at  times  to  bowlders 
in  order  to  maintain  our  equilibrium  on  the  treacherous 
path.  First  went  the  yager,  an  old  Tyrolese,  as  sure- 
footed as  a  goat,  followed  closely  by  the  Empress,  behind 
whom  I  stepped  as  briskly  as  circumstances  permitted. 
♦Suddenly  I  saw  a  jagged  bit  of  rock  detach  itself  from 
the  precipitous  slope  we  were  skirting  and,  thundering 
past  the  Empress,  roll  with  a  deep  thud  into  the  dark- 
ness beyond.  A  short  exclamation  from  the  imperial 
lady  made  me  inquire  if  she  were  hurt,  but  receiving 
no  answer,  and  seeing  that  she  did  not  slacken  her 
pace,  I  took  no  more  heed  of  the  affair,  having  more 
than  enough  to  do  in  making  my  own  progress. 

The  night  was  far  advanced  when  we  at  last  reached 
the  Kaiser  villa,  and  we  went  straight  to  our  apartments 
to  remove  our  damp,  soil-begrimed  clothes  before  taking 
some  refreshments,  and  then  some  sleep,  of  both  which 
commodities  we  were  sorely  in  need.  As  the  light  from 
the  swinging-lamp  in  the  upper  hall  fell  on  Elizabeth's 
face  I  was  struck  by  its  extreme  pallor,  and  also  by  the 
fact  that  her  left  hand  was  hidden  in  the  breast  of  her 
gray   cloth   yoppc,   or    hunting-jacket.      My    immediate 

191 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

inquiry  brought  out  a  reluctant  avowal  to  the  effect 
that  the  loose  stone  had  fallen  directly  upon  the  hand, 
with  which  she  had  been  clinging  to  the  rocky  wall  for 
support,  but  I  was  peremptorily  asked  "not  to  make  a 
fuss,  and  not  to  speak  of  the  matter  to  a  living  soul," 
Between  the  two  of  us  we  bandaged  the  sadly  crushed, 
delicately  tapering  fingers,  which  must  have  caused 
excruciating  torture  to  their  plucky  owner  during  that 
long  tramp  down  the  mountain-side,  but  which  could 
neither  bring  her  to  wince  or  to  complain,  nor  prevent 
her  through  it  all  from  being  the  leading  spirit  in  our 
small  party.  On  the  morrow  the  Empress  appeared 
wearing,  as  she  often  did  in  the  house,  a  pair  of  long 
suede  gloves,  and  no  one  was  ever  allowed  to  notice 
what  effort  it  cost  her  to  use  those  poor  maimed  fingers. 


192 


CHAPTER    XI 

In  the  mean  time  the  matrimonial  relations  of  Eudolph 
and  Stephanie  were  not  by  any  means  satisfactory. 
Already  the  prognostications  of  the  Empress  were  ful- 
filled, in  a  measure,  for  dissensions  and  continual  mis- 
understandings were  gradually  becoming  more  frequent 
between  them,  and  the  Crown-prince  showed  a  moodiness 
which  he  had  never  displayed  before.  Very  talented, 
the  young  man,  who  had  always  been  interested  greatly 
in  literature,  began  to  wield  his  pen  to  some  purpose, 
and  wrote  several  remarkable  works,  including,  later  on, 
a  volume  of  Travels  Through  the  Orient,  of  which  he 
was  not  only  the  author  but  also  the  illustrator. 

Stephanie's  worldliness  had  now  completely  out- 
weighed her  much-boasted  religious  feelings.  A  true 
butterfly  of  fashion,  she  cast  herself  into  the  whirl  of 
society  with  an  energy  and  passion  which  nothing  could 
subdue.  Her  personal  appearance  had  not  improved 
very  greatly,  but  she  was  always  admirably  dressed, 
and  knew  how  to  make  the  most  of  the  scanty  amount 
of  looks  which  she  possessed.  That  Eudolph  was 
thoroughly  dissatisfied  with  his  new  mode  of  existence 
could  not  long  remain  a  secret  at  court,  and  once  more 
two  partis  formed  themselves,  the  one  in  favour  of  the 
winning  young  Archduke,  the  other — and  I  am  glad  to 
say  the  weaker  of  the  two — took  part  for  the  Princess, 
who  began  already  to  be  called  by  this  faction,  "Die 
Arme  Stephanie." 

193  0 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

A  little  over  two  years  after  her  marriage  the  Crown- 
princess  gave  birth  to  a  little  daughter,  who  was  named 
after  the  Empress,  but  even  this  family  event  did  not 
serve  to  unite  the  hearts  of  the  young  parents.     The 
Crown-prince,  like  his  mother,  sought  comfort  and  forget- 
fulness  in  devoting  much  of  his  time  to  sports  of  all  de- 
scriptions, and  became  more  than  ever  a  devoted  follower 
of  Nimrod.    He  had  always  loved  both  the  hunt  and  the 
chase,  but  now  he  threw  himself  into  all  bodily  exercise 
with   untiring   eagerness.     This,   of  course,  was  a  new 
cause  of  grievance  for  the  Crown-princess,  who  imme- 
diately adopted  the  pose  of  a  neglected  and  abandoned 
wife,  and  heaped  reproaches  upon  her  luckless  husband's 
head.     Scenes  which  were  indeed  of  the  most  bourgeois 
kind  became  more  and  more  frequent.     Stephanie  raved, 
cried,  and  vituperated  to  such  an  extent  that  what  is 
in    German    called    "  G-emiihtlichkeit "    fled  from   their 
home.     Kudi,  thoroughly  out  of  patience,  entered  upon 
a  course  which,  if  not  entirely  commendable,  at  least 
was  excusable,  for  he  absented  himself  as  much  as  pos- 
sible from  an  environment  which  had  become  even  to 
him,  easy-going  as  he  was,  a  perfect  hell  upon  earth. 

One  dark  autumn  afternoon  I  was  sitting  at  home 
dreaming  before  a  roaring  blaze  of  cedar-logs,  when 
the  door  of  my  boudoir  was  suddenly  flung  open  and, 
without  any  of  the  ceremonious  announcements  which 
invariably  herald  a  royal  visit,  the  Crown-prince  rushed 
into  the  room,  dressed  in  plain  clothes,  and  with  a  face 
so  wild  and  haggard  that  I  was  nearly  frightened  out  of 
my  wits. 

"  What    on    earth    is    the    matter  ? "    I    exclaimed, 
jumping  to  my  feet. 

"Everything    is    the    matter!"   he   replied,   casting 
himself    into    a    low   chair,    from    which,    however,    he 

194 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

immediately   rose   again   to  take   a  few  furious  strides 
about  the  apartment. 

"  Cannot  you  be  a  little  more  precise,  and  stop  terri- 
fying me  in  this  fashion?"  I  said,  somewhat  peevishly, 
for  his  violent  entry  had  considerably  startled  me. 

:'I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  said,  with  more  composure. 
"  I  know  that  I  am  becoming  a  nuisance  to  others  as 
well  as  to  myself,  but  truly,  I  must  speak  to  somebody  or 
else  explode.  My  poor  mother  is  not  at  present  strong 
enough  to  be  troubled  by  my  sorrows,  which  she  pre- 
dicted, I  am  bound  to  acknowledge,  so  I  came  here 
to  unburden  my  heart.  We  have  always  been  awful 
chums,"  he  added,  relapsing  into  his  habitual  familiar 
slang,  "and  you  have  been  very  good  to  me,  staunch 
and  true  and  as  thoroughly  reliable  as  any  man  friend 
could  have  been." 

"Thank  you,"  I  laughed,  "that  is  a  great  compli- 
ment; but  really,  Kudi,  won't  you  please  sit  down  and 
tell  me  what  has  occurred?  I  know  that  you  haven't 
been  feeling  very  happy  of  late,  but  still,  surely  matters 
cannot  be  bad  enough  to  make  you  act  in  this  fashion ! " 

"  Oh  yes  they  are ;  my  wife  is  simply  unbearable ; 
in  fact,  sometimes  I  think  that  she  cannot  be  altogether 
in  her  right  mind.  She  is  so  jealous  that  if  I  merely 
look  at  another  woman,  if  I  dance  with  one,  or  pay  any 
of  these  small  little  compliments  without  which  no 
conversation  can  be  carried  on,  as  you  know  very  well 
yourself,  with  any  members  of  the  fair  sex,  she  treats 
me  like  a  dog,  and  rampages  about  for  hours  together." 

"  Well,  that  is  all  very  nice,"  I  said,  impatiently, 
:( but  we  warned  you  how  it  would  be ;  and  besides 
which,  you  cannot  deny,  Master  Kudi,  that  you  are  a 

!  flirt,  and  that  she  may  not  be  entirely  wrong  when 
she  objects  to  the  many  hearts  that  you  break." 

195 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

"Oh,  stop  that — do!  I  would  have  been  a  right 
enough  kind  of  a  husband  if  she  had  known  how  to 
behave  herself,  but  I  cannot  bear  to  be  watched,  and 
followed,  and  tracked,  and  questioned,  and  annoyed,  as 
she  persists  in  doing.  I  tell  you  what  I'll  do  if  this 
goes  on  much  longer.  I  will  give  her  something  serious 
to  cry  for !  Until  now,  Heaven  knows,  I  have  nothing 
to  reproach  myself  with,  and  I  can  look  her  straight  in 
the  eye  without  a  tremor ;  but  when  it  comes  to  my 
having  to  give  her  an  account  of  every  minute  of  my 
days  and  nights,  and  to  finding  out  that  my  private 
letters  are  being  opened,  my  body-servant  cross-ques- 
tioned, and  my  pockets  searched,  I  draw  a  line ;  and 
so  would  you  if  you  were  in  my  place." 

"  My  dear  boy,  be  so  kind  as  to  ring  the  bell  for  tea, 
and  while  we  are  drinking  this  beverage  which  our 
English  friends  claim  to  be  so  powerful  a  restorative,  I 
will  take  the  liberty  of  reading  you  a  lecture." 

He  looked  puzzled ;  then  the  quick,  merry,  winning 
smile,  which  reminded  one  so  much  of  his  mother's, 
flitted  over  his  drawn  features,  and,  pressing  the  electric 
button  of  the  bell,  he  sat  down  more  like  a  reasonable 
being  and,  lighting  a  cigarette,  gazed  abstractedly  out 
of  the  window,  watching  the  snow-flakes  as  they  began 
to  fall  upon  the  now  completely  denuded  trees  of  the 
Eingstrasse. 

A  few  minutes  later,  as  we  sijDped  the  comforting 
cup,  which  had  been  brought  in  at  his  summons,  I 
renewed  the  subject,  and  pointed  out  to  him  what  a 
disastrous  effect  any  outbreak  on  his  part  would  have 
upon  the  Empress.  This  was  the  best  way  to  take  him, 
and  he  softened  at  once ;  but  still  I  knew  him  well 
enough  to  see  that  his  exasperation  had  almost  reached 
its  last  limits,  and  that  sooner  or  later  some  scandal  or 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

other  would  come  to  add  its  bitterness  to  my  beloved 
Kaiserin's  already  full  cup  of  misery. 

When  he  left  me  that  afternoon  he  was  somewhat 
pacified,  but  I  shuddered  as  I  thought  of  all  that  was 
to  come. 

Disliking  the  Crown-princess  from  the  very  first,  I 
could  not  look  very  charitably  upon  the  rule  which  she 
was  now  playing,  and  her  heartlessness  infuriated  me 
absolutely.  What  a  different  man  Kudolph  would  have 
been  but  for  the  baneful  influence  which  his  wife  exer- 
cised over  him.  In  all  truth,  he  was  one  of  the  most 
chivalrous,  kind-hearted  young  men  I  have  ever  met, 
and  to-day  I  am  convinced  that  the  change  in  his  whole 
being  which  led  to  the  tragedy  of  Mayerling  can  justly 
be  laid  at  the  door  of  the  sour-tempered,  overbearing, 
narrow-minded  woman  whom  he  was  so  unfortunate  as 
to  marry. 

Matters  went  from  bad  to  worse,  and  Eudi,  rendered 
thoroughly  wild  by  being  always  falsely  accused,  ended 
by  carrying  his  flirtations  further  than  he  ought  to  have 
done.  This  alteration  in  his  principles — which,  in  spite 
of  all  that  has  been  said  to  the  contrary,  were  good,  high, 
and  noble — was  brought  about  by  Stephanie  herself  in 
the  following  manner : 

Kudolph,  who,  as  he  said  himself,  did  not  know  what 
to  do  with  his  evenings  when  there  was  no  official  occa- 
sion which  he  was  forced  to  grace  with  his  presence, 
and  who  dreaded  a  tete-a-tete  with  his  irascible  wife, 
went  one  night  to  visit  a  well-known  actress  who  had 
been  presented  to  him  by  one  of  his  friends,  a  young 
officer  with  whom  the  lady  in  question  was  on  the  best 
of  terms.  The  Crown-prince  drove  to  her  house  in  an 
ordinary  fiacre,  which  lie  left  at  the  door  waiting  for 
him.     Meanwhile  Crown-princess  Stephanie,  finding  out 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

by  means  best  known  to  herself  where  her  husband  was 
about  to  spend  the  evening,  followed  him  in  one  of  the 
court  equipages.  Upon  arriving  at  the  above-mentioned 
lady's  house  she  alighted,  and  bidding  her  coachman 
wait  for  the  Crown-prince,  she  got  into  his  hired  con- 
veyance and  peremptorily  ordered  the  amazed  jehu  to 
drive  her  back  to  the  Hofburg.  Recognizing  the 
Crown-princess,  the  man  did  not  dare  to  disobey;  and 
as  for  the  imperial  coachman,  he  sat  transfixed  with 
astonishment  and  horror  upon  his  box,  not  knowing 
what  was  best  for  him  to  do.  Half  an  hour  later,  upon 
leaving  the  house,  Rudolph  had  the  decidedly  agreeable 
surprise  of  being  confronted  by  his  wife's  carriage, 
coachman,  and  beplumed  chasseur.  No  wonder  that 
this  incident  capped  the  climax  of  his  already  only 
too  just  exasperation,  and  that  night  the  apartments  of 
the  heir  apparent  echoed  with  the  resounding  noise  of 
reproaches  and  sobs.  Shortly  afterwards  the  Crown- 
prince  purchased  the  hunting-lodge  of  Mayerling,  the 
spot  where  he  was  to  breathe  his  last  under  such  tragical 
circumstances. 

His  taste  for  natural  studies,  which  won  for  him  the 
reputation  of  being  one  of  the  foremost  zoologists  and 
ornithologists  of  Europe,  had  full  play  during  his  more 
and  more  frequent  sojourns  at  Mayerling.  He  took  an 
extreme  pleasure  in  decorating  this  picturesque  residence 
with  his  trophies  of  the  chase,  and  often  he  would  spend 
hours  together  in  what  he  was  pleased  to  call  his  "  work- 
shop," preparing  with  his  own  hands  for  stuffing  the  birds 
he  had  shot,  and  labelling  curious  specimens  of  rocks 
and  stones  and  other  minerals  which  he  found  in  his 
endless  rambles  through  the  surrounding  hills  and 
woods. 

His  apartments  resembled  more  a  museum,  or  the 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

rooms  of  a  professor  of  natural  history,  than  those  of  a 
high  and  mighty  prince.     One  of  the  salons  was  arranged 
so  as  to  represent  a  forest,  with  grottoes  of  rock,  trees 
and  shrubs  planted  in  enormous  boxes  concealed  under 
moss  and  trailing  ivy,  and  was  decorated  with  magni- 
ficently  disposed   and   lifelike   animals.     A  huge  bear, 
the  first  which  the  Crown-prince  had  shot  when  staying 
at    Munkacs,    seemingly    clung    to    a    pine-trunk,    and 
several  superb  eagles  looked  as  if  they  were  about  to 
swoop    down    from    their    elevated    positions    near  the 
ceiling.     Owls,  lynxes,  pheasants,  foxes — nay,  even  deer 
and  stags — were  all  to  be  found  in  this  wonderful  room. 
One  of  the  most  cherished  possessions  of  the  Crown- 
prince   was   contained    in    a    large   glass-case,   and  was 
nothing  less  than  the  carcass  of  a  horse  in  the  act  of 
being  devoured   by   vultures,   hawks,    and    ravens,    the 
whole  group  being  wonderfully  prepared  and  executed, 
and  giving  one  an  exact  idea  of  the   gruesome  thing 
itself.     These  birds  were  shot  by  Rudolph  during  his  trip 
of  "  fifteen  days  on  the  Danube "  which  he  described  in 
one  of  his  books,  and  also  in  Spain,  in  Egypt,  and  on 
the  island  of  Plawnik,  in  the  Quarnero. 

The  Prince's  study  at  Mayerling  was  decorated  with 
wonderful  specimens  of  foreign  and  domestic  arms — 
guns,  carbines,  pistols,  matchlocks,  swords,  kandjars,  and 
yataghans  inlaid  with  gold,  silver,  and  mother-of-pearl. 
These  rested  on  the  antlers  of  the  many  deer  which 
Rudi  had  shot  or  forced.  The  magnificent  snow-white 
Edelhirsclie  (noble  deer)  which  he  shot  in  Bohemia  were 
perhaps  the  most  remarkable  items  of  this  beautiful 
collection. 

He  might  still  have  been  happy  with  his  scientific 
and  literary  pursuits,  his  hunts  and  chases  and  his  long- 
distance rides  through  hill  and  dale,  for  besides  all  this 

I!  I'.) 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

he  was  a  wonderful  musician,  a  painter,  and  a  draughts- 
man of  no  mean  talent,  and  passionately  fond  of  study 
and  of  reading,  all  these  qualities  being  inherited  from 
his  mother,  but,  unfortunately,  Crown-princess  Stephanie 
objected  to  his  stays  at  Mayerling,  or  to  any  travel  or 
occupation  which  she  was  not  allowed  to  share.  At 
first,  to  be  sure,  had  she  been  so  minded,  he  would 
have  been  glad  to  make  her  his  companion  even  on  his 
expeditions  after  fur  and  feathers ;  but,  to  her,  brilliantly 
lighted  salons  filled  with  well-dressed  women  chattering 
about  fashion  and  folly,  and  with  a  bevy  of  young  men 
ready  to  flirt  and  to  talk  nonsense,  were  far  more  agree- 
able than  long  tramps  and  rides  under  forest  boughs  or 
on  mountain  peaks,  and  her  scorn  for  her  husband's 
favourite  pastimes  was  so  well  defined,  her  sneers  so 
marked,  that  he  let  her  take  her  own  way  and  stopped 
asking  her  to  join  him.  To  be  sure,  after  his  wretched 
death  she  gave  it  out  to  the  world  that  she  was  occupied 
in  compiling  and  editing  his  last  book,  the  one  in  fact 
which  he  was  engaged  in  writing  when  he  took  his  last 
trip  to  Mayerling,  but  like  many  other  things  which 
were  at  that  time  bruited  among  the  public,  there  was 
but  little  truth  in  this  post-mortem  and  singularly  sudden 
devotion. 

Of  course  the  Empress,  who  had  not  been  long  in 
finding  out  what  her  son's  matrimonial  life  really  was, 
felt  altogether  broken-hearted  about  it,  and  when  she 
spoke  or  wrote  to  him,  she  attempted  by  all  means 
within  her  power  to  console  and  soothe  him.  It  was  at 
that  time  that  she  wrote  several  singularly  touching 
little  poems  in  the  Hungarian  language,  which  betrayed 
her  state  of  mind. 

It  was  then,  also,  that  she  wrote  a  little  poem  about 
the    famous    legend    which    connects    every   misfortune 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

happening  to  the  House  of  Hapsburg  with  the  appear- 
ance upon  the  scene  of  a  raven,  little  thinking  that  some 
few  years  later  her  own  death  would  be  thus  heralded. 

Everybody  has  heard  of  the  flight  of  ravens  which 
swept  across  the  little  town  of  Olniiitz  during  the 
minutes  when  Emperor  Franz-Joseph  accepted  the 
crown  of  Austria,  and  with  it  a  weight  of  sorrows  sucli 
as  seldom  has  been  carried  by  a  monarch.  When  Maxi- 
milian was  about  to  start  on  his  ill-fated  journey  to 
Mexico  in  order  to  assume  his  duties  as  sovereign,  a 
raven  was  seen  by  him  and  his  wife  Charlotte  during 
a  last  walk  which  they  took  in  the  grounds  of  their 
castle  of  Miramar.  The  bird  persistently  followed  them, 
and  when  they  sat  down  upon  a  bench  under  a  clunip 
of  sycamores  it  flew,  or  rather  hopped,  towards  them 
and  settled  itself  on  one  leg  upon  the  sweeping  folds 
of  the  future  Empress's  train.  Again,  when  Archduchess 
Maria-Christina  was  about  to  enter  the  carriage  which 
was  to  drive  her  to  the  railway  station,  whence  she 
departed  for  her  future  kingdom  of  Spain — a  land  where 
she  suffered  all  that  a  woman  can  suffer  in  her  affections, 
her  pride,  and  her  health — an  enormous  raven  kept 
hovering  over  the  horses'  heads  and  actually  kept  up 
with  them  during  the  whole  drive. 

On  the  afternoon  which  preceded  the  Empress's 
assassination  at  Geneva,  she  wandered  for  several  hours 
in  the  mountains  about  Territet  with  her  reader,  Mr. 
Barker.  The  latter  had  brought  with  him  a  basket  of 
fine  fruit,  the  Empress  being  in  the  habit  of  partaking 
of  some  every  day  in  lieu  of  five-o'clock  tea.  Seated 
upon  some  moss-grown  rocks,  the  imperial  lady,  while 
listening  to  Mr.  Barker,  who  was  then  reading  to  her 
Marion  Crawford's  celebrated  novel  Corleone,  drew  the 
little  basket  towards  her  and  began  to  peel  a  magnificent 

201 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

peach,  of  which  she  offered  half  to  her  reader.  Just 
as  she  was  in  the  act  of  handing  him  his  share,  a  huge 
raven  flew  down  from  a  tall  pine-tree  whose  dusky- 
branches  were  casting  a  deep  shade  upon  the  pair,  and 
touching  Elizabeth's  forehead  with  the  tip  of  its  sombre 
wing,  actually  knocked  the  peach  out  of  her  hand. 
Remembering  the  dread  legend  of  the  Hapsburg  ravens, 
Mr.  Barker  jumped  up  with  an  exclamation  of  fear,  but 
the  Empress  began  to  laugh,  and  said  to  her  startled 
attendant : 

"  Don't  be  alarmed !  I  am  not  superstitious,  and  if 
something  is  to  happen  to  me  soon,  it  is  not  that  poor 
bird  which  will  have  caused  it.  Anyhow,  you  know  my 
ideas  about  death :  I  am  not  afraid  of  it.  When  one's 
heart  and  soul  are  dead  it  matters  but  very  little  when 
the  earthly  envelope  follows  suit.  My  heart  and  soul 
have  been  dead  for  the  past  ten  years ! "  she  added,  with 
a  sad  smile. 

"Nevertheless,  your  Majesty,"  replied  Mr.  Barker, 
"  I  am  not  easy  in  my  mind.  I  had  a  horrible  dream 
last  night  about  my  mother,  and  I  know  that  something- 
terrible  is  going  to  happen." 

The  Empress  gazed  at  him  for  a  moment  in  astonish- 
ment, and  then,  with  a  shrug  of  her  shapely  shoulders, 
she  rejoined : 

"My  dear  Mr.  Barker,  I  hope  that  you  are  too 
sensible  to  let  evil  dreams  gain  any  influence  over  you. 
I  thought  that,  like  myself,  you  were  a  fatalist.  Our 
time  comes  when  it  is  appointed  to  come,  and  nothing 
that  we  can  fear  or  fancy  will  ever  alter  our  fate.  Many 
years  ago  I  had  an  awful  dream  myself.  It  was  at  the 
time  when  my  cousin,  Louis  of  Bavaria,  died,  and  this 
sinister  vision  of  mine  came  true ;  but,  perhaps  just 
because  of  this  fact,  I  have  schooled  myself  ever  since 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

then  not  to  let  such  wanderings  of  my  mind  when  I  am 
asleep  create  too  great  an  impression  upon  me  when 
awake.  Life  is  not  happy  enough  for  us  to  spoil  what 
few  joys  we  have  by  worrying  about  such  prognostica- 
tions and  ill-omened  signs  from  the  land  of  dreams. 
Follow  my  example,  my  dear  Mr.  Barker;  it  is  a  duty 
which  we  owe  to  ourselves  and  others  as  well." 

But  to  return  to  the  Crown-prince  and  his  wife,  from 
whose  dissensions  I  have  wandered.  I  am  forced  to 
state  that  shortly  after  the  purchase  by  Rudolph  of 
Schloss  Mayerling,  Stephanie  committed  another  of  those 
dreadful  mistakes  which  alienated  the  heart  of  her 
husband  so  completely  from  her.  He  had  left  Vienna 
to  go  and  spend  two  or  three  days  at  his  hunting-lodge, 
when,  on  the  second  evening  after  his  arrival  at  Mayer- 
ling,  an  ordinary  cab  drew  up  before  the  gates  of  the 
little  castle,  and  a  heavily  veiled  lady  asked  for  admit- 
tance. According  to  the  rules  in  use  at  all  royal  and 
imperial  residences,  this  could  not  take  place  without 
the  visitor's  revealing  his  or  her  identity,  and  as  the  lady 
refused  to  do  this,  the  Crown-prince's  valet,  Loschek, 
\\as  called.  When  he  appeared  on  the  scene,  the  lady 
drew  back  her  veil  and  revealed  the  features  of  Crown- 
princess  Stephanie  herself.  Of  course  Loschek  could 
but  bow  low,  and  make  way  for  his  mistress  to  enter  the 
premises.  Shortly  afterwards  the  voices  of  husband  and 
wife,  raised  in  tones  of  anger,  were  heard  distinctly  by 
the  attendants ;  and,  unfortunately,  the  violence  of  their 
emotions  rendered  them  so  careless  that  the  following 
words  were  plainly  heard  by  two  or  three  servants,  who, 
of  course,  did  not  fail  to  repeat  them  to  their  own  friends 
and  boon  companions,  thus  spreading  among  the  public  a 
lamentably  true  version  of  what  the  relations  of  Rudolph 
and  Stephanie  were. 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

"  I  know  that  you  betray  me ! "  shrieked  the  Princess, 
shrilly.  "You  come  here  to  receive  your  fair  friends, 
and  I  won't  have  it.     Do  you  understand?" 

Hoarse  with  fury,  Rudolph  exclaimed  in  return : 

"  What  you  say  is  untrue.  There  is  not  a  solitary 
woman  here ;  you  will  drive  me  crazy  if  you  go  on  like 
this,  and  were  it  not  for  the  sorrow  that  it  would  cause 
my  parents,  I  would  leave  you  this  minute  for  ever." 

A  few  minutes  afterwards  the  ill-assorted  couple  left 
Mayerling  and  drove  back  to  Vienna;  and  when  this 
drive  was  at  an  end  practically  all  hope  of  peace  or 
reconciliation  was  lost,  for  so  embittered  did  the  Crown- 
prince  now  become  that  he  seldom  if  ever  saw  his  wife 
alone. 

One  fine  day  the  latter,  beside  herself  with  ever- 
increasing  anger  at  the  powerlessness  of  her  efforts  to 
chain  down  the  unfortunate  Eudi,  telegraphed  to  her 
father  telling  him  that  she  had  decided  to  return  to 
Belgium.  The  old  King,  who  was  far  too  wily  and 
shrewd  a  man  not  to  do  everything  possible  to  prevent 
such  a  scandal,  replied,  also  by  telegraph,  in  the  follow- 
ing fashion : 

"Stephanie:  Cest  voire  devoir  de  rester  a  cote  de  voire  mart,  le 
Prince  Heritier" 

(Stephanie  :  It  is  your  duty  to  remain  at  the  side  of  your  husband, 
the  Crown-prince.) 

In  1888  Rudolph  was  asked  by  his  father  to  put  in  an 
appearance  at  the  Polish  ball,  which  is  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  social  events  of  the  Viennese  Fasching,  or  car- 
nival. The  Crown-prince,  in  obedience  to  his  father's 
wishes,  drove  to  the  ball  in  a  very  despondent  mood,  for 
on  that  very  afternoon  he  had  had  another  violent  scene 
with  his  amiable  wife.     But,  with  the  mobility  of  his 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

pleasure-loving  nature,  as  soon  as  he  entered  the  daz- 
zlingly  lighted  and  flower-filled  salons  he  cast  his  cares  off 
and  gave  himself  up  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  moment. 

The  Polish  ball  is,  as  I  remarked  before,  a  very 
beautiful  function,  for  all  the  great  Polish  nobles  who 
have  taken  up  their  residence  in  the  capital  make  a 
point  of  being  present,  wearing  their  national  costumes, 
which  are  a  marvellous  combination  of  gold-embroidered 
velvets,  costly  furs,  and  costlier  jewels. 

Under  a  group  of  palms  and  gigantic  ferns  sat  a 
young  girl  of  such  a  remarkable  personal  charm  that 
the  Crown-prince  immediately  inquired  who  she  was. 
He  was  informed  that  she  was  the  daughter  of  Baron 
Vetsera,  and  of  the  sister  of  those  celebrated  and  enthu- 
siastic sportsmen  known  in  Austria  as  the  "Little  Bal- 
tazzis."  The  Baltazzis  are  Greeks,  but  thanks  to  their 
immense  wealth  and  their  passion  for  horse-flesh,  they 
implanted  themselves  many  years  ago  in  Viennese 
society ;  not  in  court  circles,  to  be  sure,  for  in  order  to 
be  presented  at  court  it  is  necessary,  to  begin  with,  to 
be  able  to  prove  the  regulation  sixteen  quarterings  on 
both  sides,  and  the  Greek  bankers  in  question  would 
have  possibly  been  much  embarrassed  to  prove  any 
quarterings  at  all.  However,  both  Hector  and  Aristides 
Baltazzi  had  been  presented  to  the  Emperor,  as  well  as 
to  the  Empress  and  to  other  members  of  the  imperial 
family,  in  the  hunting-field,  and  as  one  of  their  sisters 
had  married  an  Austrian  nobleman  of  the  name  of  Baron 
Vetsera,  another  the  equally  noble  Austrian  Baron 
Stockau,  and  one  of  the  brothers  the  lovely  Countess 
Ugarte,  the  family  could  be  said  to  hover  on  the  edge 
of  a  very  aristocratic  set.  Moreover,  so  whispered  the 
chronique  scandcdeuse,  when  Baroness  Vetsera  made  her 
debut   in  society   after  her  marriage,   the  Emperor  had 

205 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

been  an  ardent  admirer  of  her  dark  Oriental  beauty, 
his  attentions  having  caused  a  great  amount  of  talk  at 
the  time. 

Marie  Vetsera,  the  Baroness's  daughter,  had  spent 
most  of  her  girlhood  abroad,  and  thus  it  was  that  until 
the  ill-fated  night  of  that  particular  Polish  ball  no 
member  of  the  imperial  family  had  as  yet  set  eyes  upon 
her.  She  was  then  nineteen  years  old,  and  in  the  bloom 
of  her  extraordinary  loveliness.  Tall,  slender,  with  mag- 
nificent dark  eyes,  shaded  by  incredibly  long  and  silky 
lashes,  she  possessed  a  charm  and  a  piquancy  which, 
even  at  Vienna,  where  beautiful  women  are  the  rule 
and  not  the  exception,  produced  a  distinct  sensation. 
Her  perfect  figure  displayed  to  admirable  advantage  by 
a  simple  but  exquisitely  draped  gown  of  white  crepe, 
which  had  no  other  ornament  than  some  clusters  of 
white  violets  and  white  heather,  she  reclined  under  the 
green  shadow  cast  by  some  tall  plants,  playing  listlessly 
with  her  fan  of  white  feathers.  She  seemed  quite  un- 
conscious of  the  sweet  picture  which  she  made,  her  small, 
well-shaped  head  leaning  against  a  pile  of  cushions,  and 
a  crescent  of  diamonds — her  sole  jewel — sparkling  in 
the  masses  of  her  dark  wavy  hair. 

There  was  something  so  attractive,  so  delightfully 
pure  and  refined  and  out  of  the  ordinary  in  her  appear- 
ance, that  the  Crown-prince  asked  to  have  her  introduced 
to  him,  and  was  soon  sitting  by  her  side,  talking  gaily 
about  the  ever-changing  pageant  before  their  eyes. 
Before  long  he  asked  her  to  dance. 

The  Austrians  are  proverbially  the  best  waltzers  on 
earth,  and  to  waltz  with  Eudi,  who  had  mastered  that 
difficult  art  with  his  usual  capacity  for  doing  exceedingly 
well  everything  that  he  did  at  all,  was  a  revelation  to 
Marie.     The   Crown-prince   was   not  what  is  commonly 

20G 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

called  a  good-looking  man,  but  he  was  worse  than  good- 
looking,  for  when  he  chose  to  make  an  effort  he  became 
absolutely  and  irresistibly  seduisant. 

It  is  supposed  that  in  novels  only  does  one  encounter 
the  famous  coup  de  foudre,  but  real  life  has  given  many 
proofs  that  such  a  thing  exists,  and  we  stand  face  to 
face  with  just  such  an  instance  when  speaking  of  this 
first  meeting  between  the  heir  of  Austro-Hungary's 
crown  and  the  heiress  of  the  Baltazzi  millions  and  of 
the  peculiar  style  of  beauty  of  the  Baltazzi  women. 
Marie,  who  had  been  much  courted  from  the  very  outset 
of  her  career  in  Austrian  society,  had  from  that  moment 
no  thought  excepting  for  the  stalwart  prince  whose  eyes 
— the  finest  feature  which  he  possessed — had  known  so 
well  how  to  make  her  understand  at  once  that  the  time 
had  come  for  him  to  lose  his  heart  for  good  and  all. 
This  was  no  budding  flirtation,  no  little  drawing-room 
intrigue  which  serves  to  while  away  the  hours  and  give 
a  little  zest  to  the  insipid  existence  of  most  society  men 
and  women,  but  the  genuine  bo?id  fide  passion  which 
has  been  pictured  by  the  poets  from  time  immemorial. 

In  Montenegro  the  mountaineers  call  this  sudden  rush 
of  feeling  "having  met  one's  fate,"  and  this  expresses 
such  an  event  well  indeed,  for  rare  as  such  instances 
may  be  they  have  pretty  nearly  always  a  fateful  end — 
nay,  even  a  tragical  one. 

Rudolph  had  in  his  nature  a  vein  of  what  in  German 
is  called  schivdrmerei — a  hidden  source  of  poetical  ideality 
— and  he  was  a  most  likely  victim  for  a  love  which 
pertained  rather  to  the  soul  than  to  the  senses.  A 
great  deal  of  nonsense,  and  shameful  nonsense  at  that, 
has  been  spoken  and  written  about  the  immense  and 
absorbing  tenderness  which  united  Rudolph  and  Marie 
from  the  very  first.     Slander  of  the  foulest  and  blackest 

207 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

kind  has  not  been  spared  to  them,  and  even  after  their 
death  the  slimy  tide  of  misinterpretation  and  calumny 
has  kept  rising  about  their  graves,  and  has  blurred 
their  memory  in  its  muddy  ooze. 

The  truth  of  the  matter  is,  that  love  such  as  they 
felt  for  each  other  is  too  uncommon  a  thing  not  to 
arouse  the  ill-feeling  and  envy  of  the  public,  and  that 
almost  of  necessity  revenge  is  swift,  and  generally  takes 
the  shape  of  a  wave  of  villainous  inventions,  of  false 
reports,  and  of  cruel  lies,  which  it  is  impossible  to 
refute  because  in  such  cases  proof  of  the  victim's  inno- 
cence can  seldom  be  given. 

The  person  who  was,  perhaps,  most  to  blame  in  the 
whole  lamentable  course  of  this  sorry  affair  was  Countess 
George  Larisch.  She  was  the  niece  of  Empress  Eliza- 
beth, whose  elder  brother  had  morganatically  married 
an  actress  of  the  name  of  Henriette  Mendel.  The 
Countess,  the  only  child  of  this  union,  was  born  in 
1858,  and  when  she  had  reached  maidenhood,  Elizabeth, 
touched  by  her  beauty,  and  especially  attracted  by  her 
perfect  horsewomanship,  took  her  up,  and  introduced 
her  at  the  Viennese  court  under  the  name  which  had 
been  granted  to  her  mother  upon  the  latter 's  marriage 
— namely,  that  of  Baroness  Wallersee.  Her  aunt  con- 
ferred upon  her  the  title  of  Lady-of-the-Palace,  and  in 
1879  married  her  to  Count  George  Larisch,  who  was 
then  a  good-natured,  easy-going,  young  cavalry  officer, 
not  very  bright  but  intensely  kind-hearted,  who  belonged 
to  an  old  family,  and  was  endowed  with  more  than  a 
fair  portion  of  this  world's  goods.  The  marriage  took 
place  at  Godollo,  and  it  was  the  Empress  herself  who 
gave  the  bride  away. 

The  very  pretty  and  elegant  woman  was  wont  to 
designate  herself  as  Eudi's  favourite  cousin,  and  I  think, 

208 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

as  many  others  have  done,  too,  that  she  at  first  harboured 
hopes  of  marrying  him,  although  she  was  fully  cognizant 
of  the  fact  that  being  of  non-royal  birth,  and  for  the 
matter  of  that  the  issue  of  a  morganatic  alliance,  she 
had  not  the  slightest  chance  of  ever  being  allowed  to 
wed  the  heir  to  the  crown.  Nevertheless  she  relied 
upon  her  imperial  aunt's  affection,  and  also  upon  the 
headstrong  temper  of  Rudi,  who  she  well  knew  would 
have  been  difficult  to  dissuade  from  accomplishing  any 
plan  which  had  once  entered  his  head.  To  that  purpose 
she  left  no  stone  unturned  in  order  to  make  herself  as 
agreeable  as  possible  to  the  Emperor,  Empress,  Crown- 
prince,  and  the  two  young  Archduchesses  whom  she 
would  have  so  much  liked  to  call  by  the  name  of  sisters. 
Rudolph's  marriage  being  one  day  freely  discussed  in 
her  presence,  she  put  out  a  few  feelers,  and  old  Arch- 
duke Albrecht,  who  was  present,  discovering  with  his 
usual  sagacity  the  quarter  from  which  the  wind  blew, 
stated  to  her  in  clear  and  definite  language  that  the 
Crown-prince  of  Austria  would  never  be  permitted  by 
his  family  nor  by  the  imperial  and  royal  constitution 
to  marry  any  other  than  a  royal  or  an  imperial  princess. 
The  young  Baroness  realized  that  the  aged  Archduke 
was  speaking  the  absolute  truth,  and,  subsequently,  in 
a  moment  of  pique,  she  accepted  the  hand  of  Count 
Larisch  and  became  one  of  the  gayest  mondaines  of  the 
gayest  court  of  Europe. 

When  some  three  years  later  Rudolph  married  Ste- 
phanie, the  Crown-princess  became  Countess  Larisch 's 
bete-noire,  and  the  Countess's  behaviour  towards  her 
cousin's  bride  in  public,  and  the  sarcasms  and  ridicule 
with  which  she  covered  her  in  private,  were  not  of  a 
nature  to  make  Rudolph  look  upon  his  consort  with  a 
very  indulgent  gaze.     Instead  of  trying  to  palliate  the 

209  P 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

wrongs  done  to  him  by  his  wife,  Countess  Larisch  kept 
pouring  oil  on  the  flames,  and  was  continually  on  the 
look  out  for  an  occasion  to  revenge  herself  upon  the 
woman  who  certainly  offered  reason  enough  for  dislike, 
but  whose  only  crime  against  her  was,  after  all,  in 
having  married  the  man  whom  she  herself  loved,  or 
pretended  to  love — which,  as  far  as  the  ultimate  result  is 
concerned,  comes  absolutely  to  the  same  thing.  Quick 
as  a  flash  of  lightning  the  Countess,  who  unluckily 
happened  to  be  also  present  at  the  Polish  ball  where 
Rudolph  made  the  acquaintance  of  Marie  Vetsera, 
noticed  what  an  impression  the  girl's  beauty  and  wit 
had  made  upon  Rudolph's  saddened  and  weary  heart. 
Seeing  at  last  within  her  grasp  the  means  of  paying  off 
old  scores,  she  at  once  made  up  her  mind  to  throw  the 
two  young  people  together  as  much  as  possible.  She 
lost  no  time  in  making  the  acquaintance  of  Baroness 
Vetsera,  and  from  that  day  on  she  managed  with 
extreme  cleverness  to  bring  it  about  that  every  time 
that  Rudolph  called  upon  her  he  should  encounter  at 
her  house  the  girl  whom  he  was  learning  to  love  more 
and  more  passionately  every  day. 

That  the  moral  principles  of  Countess  Larisch  were 
not  of  the  highest  order  has  been  since  then  unques- 
tionably proved  by  the  fact  that  a  few  years  ago  she 
abandoned  her  kind  and  long-suffering  husband,  as  well 
as  her  beautiful  little  children,  for  the  sake  of  an  opera- 
singer  of  the  name  of  Brack,  whom  she  proceeded  to 
marry  as  soon  as  the  Count  had  obtained  a  divorce  from 
her,  and  with  whom  she  is  now  living  somewhere  in 
Germany. 

The  love  of  Rudolph  and  Marie  might  possibly  have 
remained  a  secret  from  Stephanie,  for  they  never  met 
in  private,  and  he  was  very  careful  that  not  a  breath 

210 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

of  scandal  should  have  any  reason  to  touch  the  girl  he 
worshipped,  had  it  not  been  for  the  Countess,  who  never 
rested  until  she  had  by  her  many  hints  and  innuendoes 
made  it  clear  to  the  Crown-princess  that  Rudolph  had 
at  last  fallen  in  love  in  good  earnest,  and  designated 
to  her  kind  notice  the  possessor  of  her  husband's  heart. 
This  took  place  shortly  before  Queen  Victoria's  jubilee 
festivities  in  1887,  festivities  at  which  the  Crown-prince 
and  Crown-princess  of  Austria  were  to  represent  Emperor 
Franz-Joseph  and  Empress  Elizabeth. 

Two  or  three  weeks  before  the  date  appointed  for 
the  departure  of  Rudolph  and  Stephanie  for  London, 
Marie  Vetsera  was  called  to  England,  where  her  sister 
lay  ill.  This  was  a  mere  coincidence,  but  presented  to 
the  Crown-princess  by  the  cruelly  sarcastic  tongue  of 
Countess  Larisch,  the  fact  took  the  proportions  of  a 
purposely  made  appointment,  arranged  by  the  lovers, 
with  a  view  of  being  able  to  meet  on  a  foreign  soil  with 
an  ease  which  was  not  to  be  found  within  the  limits  of 
the  Austrian  empire.  Upon  hearing  of  this  the  Crown- 
princess  at  the  very  last  moment  stubbornly  refused  to 
accompany  her  husband,  wounding  the  feelings  of  the 
aged  British  Queen  almost  beyond  pardon  by  her  curt 
denial,  and  offending  almost  as  much  the  Emperor  and 
Empress,  not  to  speak  of  her  own  father  and  mother, 
King  Leopold  and  Queen  Henrietta  of  Belgium,  who 
were  among  the  Jubilee  guests. 

It  is  useless  to  record  here  the  really  atrocious  scene 
which  took  place  between  Rudolph  and  Stephanie  on 
that  occasion.  The  Crown-princess  forgot  herself  so  far 
as  to  use  when  speaking  of  Marie  Vetsera  some  epithets 
which  befitted  neither  her  sex  nor  her  exalted  rank,  and 
which,  when  applied  to  the  woman  he  loved,  Rudolph 
could  not  let   pass   without   resenting   in   the   angriest 

211 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

fashion  possible.  He  then  and  there  declared  to  his 
consort  that  he  was  through  with  her,  and  that  he  would 
never  forgive  what  she  had  said.  With  this  declaration 
of  war  he  took  his  departure  for  England,  while  Ste- 
phanie, for  once  frightened  wellnigh  out  of  her  wits, 
left  Vienna  to  spend  the  time  of  his  absence  away  from 
all  observing  eyes. 

That  Rudolph  met  Marie  Vetsera  and  her  mother 
in  London,  and  called  upon  them  several  times,  is  quite 
certain,  but  what  plans  were  decided  upon  by  the  two 
young  people  it  is  impossible  to  state.  Let  it  suffice 
to  say  that  some  time  after  his  return  to  Austria  the 
Crown-prince  sent  a  private  and  confidential  letter  to 
our  Holy  Father,  the  Pope,  entreating  him  to  dissolve 
his  marriage,  and  to  use  his  influence  with  the  Emperor 
to  obtain  the  latter's  sanction  to  Rudolph's  renouncing 
all  his  rights  of  succession  to  the  throne,  and  retreating 
altogether  from  the  public  gaze.  This  letter  was  sent 
to  Rome  by  a  special  and  trusty  messenger,  who  was 
to  bring  back  his  Holiness's  answer  thereto.  Almost 
immediately  upon  the  reception  of  this  document  Leo 
XIII.  despatched  one  of  his  own  confidential  couriers  to 
Emperor  Franz- Joseph,  enclosing  in  a  letter  of  his  own  to 
the  Emperor  the  one  which  the  Crown-prince  had  written. 

It  is  impossible  to  depict  the  horror  and  amazement 
of  the  unhappy  father  when  he  received  this  quite  un- 
expected blow,  for  although  he  was  aware  that  the 
relations  between  his  son  and  his  daughter-in-law  were 
much  strained,  yet  he  had  no  idea  that  this  state  of 
affairs  had  gone  so  far  as  to  bring  about  such  a  decision 
on  Rudolph's  part ;  moreover,  he  knew  Rudolph  too  well 
not  to  realize  that  some  really  terrible  thing  must  have 
happened  to  cause  him  to  take  such  a  step  without  even 
mentioning  it  to  him. 

212 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

He  at  once  summoned  Archduke  Albrecht,  his  uncle, 
his  brother,  Archduke  Charles-Louis,  and  the  Prince- 
Archbishop  of  Vienna,  wishing  to  communicate  to 
Rudolph  the  Holy  Father's  letter  in  their  presence. 

The  interview  which  followed  is  wellnierh  indescrib- 
able.  Rudolph,  much  moved  by  the  deep  grief  of  his 
father,  to  whom  he  was  extremely  attached,  fell  at  his 
feet  and  craved  his  pardon  for  being  its  cause,  but  at 
the  same  time  refused  to  give  any  explanation  of  his 
conduct  in  the  presence  of  witnesses,  and  it  was  only 
later  on,  when  the  Emperor  had  retired  to  his  private 
apartments  for  the  night,  that  the  Crown-prince  was 
induced  by  him  to  make  a  clean  breast  of  the  whole 
matter. 

Here  we  reach  a  point  in  this  terrible  affair  which  is 
of  so  delicate  a  nature  that  one  positively  recoils  before 
the  almost  impossible  task  of  explaining  it.  There  are 
in  this  world  some  terrible  fatalities,  and  many  instances 
in  which  the  words  of  the  Scripture,  which  say  that  "  the 
sins  of  the  fathers  will  be  visited  upon  the  children," 
come  true  in  a  really  ghastly  fashion.  The  stormy 
conversation  which  took  place  between  the  Emperor  and 
his  only  and  much-beloved  son  was  witnessed  by  none, 
and  yet  there  exist  to-day  several  people  who  know  how 
awful  was  the  discovery  made  by  both  of  them  on  that 
never-to-be-forgotten  night,  when  Rudolph  confessed  to 
his  father  his  love  for  Marie  Vetsera,  and  his  intention 
of  giving  up  his  entire  future,  his  lofty  rank,  and  his 
unequalled  position  in  order  to  marry  her ! 

When  at  dawn  the  Crown-prince  staggered  out  from 
his  father's  presence,  his  face  was  gray  and  drawn  and 
haggard,  like  that  of  a  corpse,  and  in  his  eyes,  which 
glittered  with  the  burning  light  of  fever,  there  was  a 
look  of  harsh  resolve  which  betrayed  not  only  the  fact 

213 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

that  he  was  a  desperate  man,  but  also  that  he  had  left 
behind  him  all  hope  of  the  realization  of  his  most  ardent 
desires. 

As  to  the  Emperor,  when  his  valet  entered  his  room 
at  the  usual  hour  he  found  his  imperial  master  bowing 
low  over  his  desk,  with  his  head  pillowed  upon  his  folded 
arms.  The  Emperor  was  fully  dressed  in  the  uniform 
which  he  had  worn  on  the  previous  evening,  and  the 
servant,  thinking  that  perchance  his  master  had  fallen 
asleep  while  writing,  permitted  himself  to  touch  him 
lightly  on  the  shoulder.  What  was  his  fright  and 
amazement  when  he  discovered  that  Franz-Joseph,  this 
man  of  iron,  who  never  knew  a  day's  sickness,  was  in  a 
dead  faint !  Kealizing  with  the  quick  intuition  of  a 
thoroughly  loyal  servitor  that  the  Emperor  would  wish 
his  condition  kept  secret  if  possible,  the  valet  forbore 
from  summoning  help,  but  applied  restoratives  himself, 
and  when  the  Emperor  had  recovered  consciousness 
tactfully  avoided  betraying  by  look  or  sign  his  own 
curiosity  as  to  what  might  have  brought  about  so  curious 
and  unparalleled  an  incident. 

During  the  course  of  the  morning  the  Emperor  sent 
for  his  son,  but  was  informed  that  his  imperial  highness 
the  Crown-prince  had  started  early  for  Mayerling  accom- 
panied only  by  his  body-servant  Loschek,  and  that  he 
had  left  word  to  the  effect  that  he  intended  to  spend 
two  or  three  days  there,  in  the  company  of  his  brother- 
in-law,  Prince  Phillip  von  Coburg,  and  of  Count  Joseph 
Hoyos,  who  were  as  a  rule  his  favourite  hunting  com- 
panions. 

On  the  30th  of  January,  1889,  Europe  was  startled 
and  terrified  through  its  length  and  breadth  by  the  news, 
flashed  over  the  wires  from  Vienna,  that  Crown-prince 
Kudolph   had  died  suddenly  from    the   rupture   of  an 

214 


. 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

aneurism  of  the  heart,  at  his  hunting-lodge  of  Mayer- 
ling.  The  official  Viennese  organ,  Die  Offizielle  Wiener 
Zeituw),  of  January  the  31st,  contained  on  its  first 
page,  surrounded  by  a  deep  black  border,  the  following 
announcement : 

u  Seine  Kalserliche  und  Konigliche  Hoheit  der  Durchlauchtiste 
Kron-prinz-Erzherzog  Rudolf  ist  gestem  am  30  Januar  in  Seinen  Jagd- 
schlosse  in  Mayerling,  bei  Baden, am  Jlerzschlag plotzlich  verschieden" 

(His  Eoyal  and  Imperial  Highness,  Crown-prince  Archduke  Rudolph, 
died  yesterday,  January  30th,  at  his  hunting-lodge  of  Mayerling,  near 
Baden,  from  the  rupture  of  an  aneurism  of  the  heart.) 

It  would  have  been  truer  if  the  paper  had  contented 
itself  with  declaring  that  Rudolph  had  died  of  a  broken 
heart,  for  a  broken  heart  it  was  which  led  to  his  violent 
and  untimely  death. 

Later  on,  during  the  course  of  the  day,  the  most 
contradictory  reports  appeared  in  print.  Some  of  these 
declared  that  the  Crown-prince  had  succumbed  to  the 
effects  of  a  shooting  accident,  others  that  he  had  died  of 
congestion  of  the  lungs ;  others  again  hinted  in  a  very 
guarded  but  still  fully  understandable  fashion  that  he 
had  fallen  in  a  duel. 

On  the  following  day  nothing  at  all  was  printed 
save  a  simple  statement  emanatiDg  from  the  highest 
quarters  and  declaring  that  the  heir  apparent  had  died 
suddenly  at  his  castle  of  Mayerling,  and  giving  out 
the  usual  regulations  for  court  mourning. 

A  great  many  foreign  journalists,  requested  by  their 
newspapers  to  find  out  all  that  they  could  about  this 
disastrous  event,  drove  immediately  to  Mayerling,  but 
found  it  impossible  to  penetrate  farther  than  the  outer 
gates  of  the  park  surrounding  the  schloss. 

The  neighbourhood  is  known  as  "  The  Pearl  of  the 
Wiener- Wald."     It  is  exceedingly  romantic,  dotted  with 

215 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

the  picturesque  ruins  of  ancient  castles,  of  churches,  of 
monasteries,  and  of  convents.  The  most  remarkable  and 
interesting  monastery  in  the  region  is  Heiligenkreutz, 
which  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  Austria.  It  was  founded 
in  1336  by  Margrave  Leopold,  and  in  the  chapter-house 
is  the  vault  of  the  Babenbergs.  The  building  is  beautiful, 
and  exquisitely  carved  in  a  lace-like  pattern  of  pinkish- 
gray  granite ;  and  an  old  well,  which  is  always  shown  to 
visitors,  is  of  so  curious  a  workmanship  that  it  is  said 
not  to  have  its  like  in  the  entire  world.  The  treasure- 
chamber  and  library — containing  over  twenty  thousand 
volumes — are  also  great  attractions,  and  so  are  the  superb 
stained-glass  windows  of  the  chapel.  In  a  word,  Heili- 
genkreutz is  indeed  very  justly  celebrated,  for  it  is  one 
of  the  most  perfect  relics  left  of  the  poetical  times  of 
long  ago. 

It  was  the  Crown-prince's  delight  to  spend  hours 
there,  poring  over  the  black-letter  records  and  rolls  of 
quaint  old  parchments  in  the  Archive  Hall,  fingering 
with  a  feeling  akin  to  awe  the  handiwork  of  the  learned 
monks,  whose  bones  have  been  crumbling  away  for 
centuries  under  the  stone  pavement  of  the  cross-shaped 
cloisters. 

The  surrounding  forest  is,  if  one  is  to  believe  the 
oldest  inhabitants,  as  well  as  the  written  statements  left 
by  preceding  generations,  haunted  by  a  wild  huntsman 
and  a  white  lady  who  are,  it  appears,  in  the  habit  of 
galloping  at  night  on  shadowy  horses  under  the  interlaced 
branches  of  the  magnificent  trees.  A  narrow  road  over- 
hung with  evergreens  leads  towards  the  Castle  of  Mayer- 
ling,  which  also  was  once  a  monastery  belonging  to  the 
monks  of  Heiligenkreutz. 

On  January  the  30th,  this  beautiful  place   became 
transformed  into  the  saddest  and  most  melancholy  spot 

216 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

upon  earth.  Snow  was  falling  heavily,  and  throwing  a 
cloak  of  blinding  whiteness  upon  the  entire  landscape. 
The  sky,  of  a  gray  copper  hue,  seemed  to  touch  the 
summits  of  the  trees,  and  no  noise  was  anywhere  to  be 
heard  save  the  dismal  croaking  of  those  eternally  ill- 
omened  ravens ;  no  figure  was  to  be  seen  excepting  the 
cordon  of  gendarmes  which  surrounded  the  entire  extent 
of  the  park,  and  stood  motionless,  carbine  in  hand,  to 
prevent  any  intruder  from  penetrating  within  the  circle  of 
the  private  grounds.  The  shutters  were  closed  throughout 
the  entire  castle,  and  at  the  door  stood  an  officer  of 
police  with  his  sword  drawn. 

On  January  31st,  just  as  the  gray,  bleak,  cold  day 
was  coming  to  an  end,  the  door  opened,  and  the  gleam 
of  many  blessed  candles  cast  a  red  glow  upon  the  snow 
without.  Presently  some  servants,  clad  in  deepest  black 
and  holding  torches  in  their  hands,  stepped  out,  preced- 
ing the  Prince  of  Coburg  and  Count  Hoyos,  who  stood 
for  a  few  moments  on  the  steps  until  a  perfectly  plain, 
black-painted  fourgon,  drawn  by  two  black  horses,  drew 
up  before  the  portal. 

All  present  were  bareheaded,  and  shivered  in  the 
freezing  wind  which  moaned  among  the  snow-laden  trees. 
After  a  minute  or  so,  six  huntsmen  belonging  to  the 
Crown-prince's  service  appeared,  carrying  between  them 
the  long,  narrow  black  coffin,  absolutely  unornamented, 
which  contained  the  last  remains  of  the  man — young, 
athletic,  strong,  and  buoyant — who  but  a  few  hours  pre- 
viously was  the  hope  and  the  joy  of  one  of  the  greatest 
empires  of  this  earth. 

Not   a   voice    was   raised,  the  necessary  orders  were 

given  in  whispers,  the  coffin  whs  placed  in  the  terrible 

fourgon,  and  the  horses  at  last  started  at   a   foot-pace, 

while  the  Prince,  the  Count,  and  two  or  three  officials 

217 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

sent  by  the  Emperor,  seated  themselves  in  the  three 
carriages  which  completed  the  dismal  procession,  and 
followed  the  fourgon  out  of  the  gates  and  into  the 
darkness  which  had  now  gathered,  and  which  made 
the  narrow  mountain-roads  very  dangerous  to  traverse. 
Suddenly  the  Prince  of  Coburg  opened  the  window  of 
his  carriage,  and  called  out  to  the  man  who  drove  the 
fourgon : 

"For  God's  sake  trot,  for  we  shall  all  go  crazy 
together  if  we  don't  soon  get  away  from  this ! " 

On  they  rolled  into  the  night  at  a  quicker  pace, 
until  they  had  left  behind  them  the  dense  woods  and 
had  reached  the  high-road  which  leads  to  Baden.  Once 
there,  occasionally  a  cart  driven  by  some  peasant  met 
them,  and  little  thinking  that  this  funeral  cortege  was 
that  of  Austria's  Crown-prince,  the  driver  called  out  in 
the  peculiar  drawl  of  the  yokel :  "  Is'  wcr  g'storben  t " 
(Is  somebody  dead  ?)  Finally  the  small  town  of  Baden 
was  reached,  and  the  coffin  with  its  escort  was  trans- 
ferred to  a  special  train  which  was  awaiting  their 
arrival. 

The  night  was  almost  over  when  the  body  of  the 
Crown-prince  was  borne  into  his  private  apartments  at 
the  Hofburg.  The  temporary  coffin  was  opened  and  the 
corpse  laid  on  the  bed,  and  then  it  was  that  the  Emperor 
and  Empress  were  brought  face  to  face  with  the  full 
horrors  of  the  awful  death  of  their  only  son. 

There  are  but  few  who  know  how  the  ill-fated  Prince 
really  met  with  his  end.  So  much  has  been  written  and 
said  about  it  that  was  thoroughly  untrue,  and  so  much 
kept  back,  rather  imprudently,  which  it  would  have  been 
better  to  state  frankly,  that  justice  has  never  been  done 
to  the  motives  which  led  this  plucky,  courageous,  honour- 
able, and  also  sincerely  religious   young  man  to  give 

218 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

himself  to  death.  It  was  rumoured  at  the  time,  and  it 
also  has  been  declared  since,  that  before  committing  an 
act  so  severely  condemned  by  the  Catholic  Church  he 
had  actually  killed  with  his  own  hand  the  woman  whom 
he  loved  better  than  life.  This  is  thoroughly  and  shame- 
fully untrue.  Marie  Vetsera  died  during  the  night  of 
the  29th  to  the  30th  of  January,  1889,  and  she  did  die 
in  the  arms  of  the  Crown-prince,  but  it  was  not  he,  as 
everybody  persists  in  believing,  who  killed  her.  It  has 
been  authentically  proved  that  it  was  she  herself  who 
cut  short  her  fair  and  beautiful  existence  while  Rudi 
had  absented  himself  for  a  moment  from  the  salon  where 
they  had  been  talking  together 

Early  in  the  morning  of  January  29th,  Marie  Vetsera 
received  a  letter.  She  was  at  that  moment  sitting  in 
her  dressing-room,  and  putting  the  finishing  touches  to 
her  toilet.  Her  maid  and  her  sister,  who  were  present, 
noticed  that  as  she  perused  the  contents  of  the  letter, 
which  had  been  brought  by  a  special  messenger,  she 
turned  ghastly  pale  and  shook  like  a  leaf,  but  when 
asked  what  was  the  cause  of  her  emotion,  she  refused 
to  give  any  explanation,  and  tearing  the  letter  into 
small  pieces  she  threw  them  into  the  open  fire,  and 
watched  them  until  they  had  been  completely  reduced 
to  ashes.  Shortly  afterwards  she  complained  of  a  head- 
ache, and  said  that  she  would  go  for  a  short  walk  in 
order  to  see  whether  fresh  air  would  not  do  her  good. 
Dressed  in  a  simple,  dark  serge  skirt,  a  jacket,  cap,  and 
muff  of  sombre  fur,  and  with  a  small  bunch  of  violets 
fastened  at  her  breast,  she  left  her  mother's  house  and 
walked  down  the  Ringstrasse  until  she  reached  a  cele- 
brated florist's  shop,  which  she  habitually  patronized. 
There  she  purchased  another  and  much  larger  bunch 
of  violets,   and   on   leaving  the   shop   stepped   into   an 

219 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

nnumerierter — one  of  those  private  cabs  which  a  great 
many  of  the  Viennese  aristocrats  use  for  their  morning 
drives — which  had  stopped  in  front  of  the  florist's  as 
soon  as  she  entered  the  shop.  The  horses  trotted  off  at 
a  sharp  pace,  and  the  shopwoman  who  had  waited  upon 
Marie,  and  had  accompanied  her  to  the  door,  said,  as 
she  returned  to  her  counter : 

"  Well,  that's  funny !  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  the 
baroness  has  driven  off  in  Crown-prince  Rudolph's 
private  cab,  driven  by  Bratfisch  himself." 

Bratfisch,  the  Crown-prince's  fiacre,  was  a  well-known 
character  in  Vienna.  He  was  the  typical  personification 
of  those  children  of  the  Kaiser-stadt,  who  are  perhaps 
the  most  entertaining  and  thoroughly  original  beings  in 
existence.  He  was  absolutely  devoted  to  his  imperial 
master,  who  used  to  laugh  very  heartily  at  his  extra- 
ordinary antics,  as  well  as  at  the  stories  which  he  knew 
how  to  relate  with  amazing  gusto  about  the  people  whom 
he  had  driven  during  the  course  of  his  life — stories  that 
Rudolph,  in  his  genial,  careless  manner,  often  caused 
him  to  tell. 

Bratfisch  had  received  orders  to  await  a  lady  carry- 
ing a  bunch  of  violets  in  her  hand  before  the  above- 
mentioned  florist's,  and  then  to  drive  her  as  rapidly  as 
possible  to  Mayerling.  When  she  arrived  at  the  hunting- 
lodge  she  was  met  on  the  steps  by  Rudolph,  who,  taking 
her  hand  in  his,  drew  her  into  the  salon,  into  which 
his  private  apartments  opened,  and  carefully  closed  the 
door. 

Count  Hoyos  and  the  Prince  of  Coburg  were  out 
shooting  in  the  woods,  whither  the  Crown-prince  had 
refused  to  accompany  them,  pleading  that  he  had  a  bad 
cold.  Just  before  the  arrival  of  Marie  the  Crown-prince 
had  sent  off  a  telegram,  written  in  Hungarian,  to  his 

220 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

father  at  the  Hofburg,  telling  him  that  he  was  not 
feeling  well  enough  to  be  present  at  the  family  dinner 
which  was  to  be  given  that  evening  in  honour  of  Arch- 
duchess Marie- Valerie  and  her  fiance,  Archduke  Francis- 
Salvator.     The  telegram  ran  as  follows: 

"  To  II is  Majesty  the  Emperor,  in  Vienna  : 

"  Forgive  ray  not  appearing,  as  I  am  not  feeling  well ;  it  is  nothing 
serious,  however.     Love  to  my  mother  and  to  all. 

"  Rudolph." 

(Engedelmet  Jcyrek,  ha  lem  gyuueJc.     Keveset  heteg  vagybh.     Tiszte- 
lemafoeherzepne,  etc.) 

Whatever  the  conversation  may  have  been  between 
the  two  unfortunate  young  people  on  that  dark  and 
dismal  afternoon  in  the  little  salon  of  Schloss-Mayerling 
can  better  be  imagined  than  described.  The  awful 
disclosure  which  the  young  man  made  to  her  was  truly 
of  a  nature  to  unbalance  the  steadiest  brain,  and  Loschek, 
the  valet,  said  later  on  that  he  had  heard,  when  passing 
the  door,  on  different  occasions,  the  muffled  sound  of 
violent  sobbing. 

During  the  preceding  few  weeks  Marie  had  been 
excessively  melancholy,  and  had  several  times  alluded, 
in  the  presence  of  her  family  and  friends,  to  her  wish  to 
die  young  if  she  could  not  obtain  her  heart's  most  ardent 
desires,  but  what  those  were  she  did  not  say !  Indeed, 
a  gentleman  who  had  known  her  from  a  child,  and  who 
was  a  constant  visitor  at  the  Vetsera  mansion,  remembered 
that  on  one  occasion  she  had  told  him  half-laughingly 
that,  thanks  to  the  strain  of  Oriental  blood  which  flowed 
in  her  veins,  she  had  no  fear  whatsoever  of  death,  even 
if  self-inflicted,  and  that  she  was  always  provided  with 
the  means  of  putting  a  swift  and  painless  end  to  her 
existence,  if  ever  it  became  too  distasteful  to  her.     The 

22 1 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

gentleman  in  question,  taking  this  in  the  spirit  of  a 
spoiled  child's  boutade,  gave  it  but  scant  attention, 
until  subsequent  events  forced  him  to  recall  to  mind 
the  conversation  which  he  had  had  with  her  on  the 
subject. 

When  Count  Hoyos  and  Prince  von  Coburg  returned 
to  the  Castle  for  dinner,  they  found  that  the  Crown- 
prince  had  already  retired,  leaving  a  message  to  the 
effect  that  he  felt  too  ill  to  appear  at  the  evening  meal, 
from  which  he  begged  to  be  excused.  There  was  no 
sign  of  Bratfisch,  nor,  of  course,  of  Marie  Vetsera,  and 
Loschek  having  been  the  only  one  to  witness  her  arrival, 
the  two  noblemen  were  not  informed  that  a  lady  had 
come  to  Mayerling  on  that  day.  They  sat  for  a  while 
over  their  wine  and  cigars,  and  then,  thoroughly  tired 
out  by  their  day's  sport,  they  went  to  bed,  and  absolute 
silence  reigned  over  the  entire  building. 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  huntsmen  began 
to  move  about  in  the  yard ;  the  grooms  opened  the 
stable  doors  and  started  upon  their  day's  work,  casting 
an  occasional  glance  upon  the  shuttered  windows  of 
the  castle,  for  they  knew  well  that,  like  his  father, 
the  Crown-prince  was  an  early  riser,  and  that,  there- 
fore, he  would  probably  soon  appear  at  one  of  the 
casements,  as  was  his  wont,  to  call  out  some  orders  to 
them. 

Loschek  also  was  up  and  preparing  his  imperial 
master's  bath  in  the  dressing-room  adjoining  the  Crown- 
prince's  sleeping-apartment.  Several  times  he  approached 
the  door,  expecting  to  hear  himself  called,  but  the 
silence  remained  untroubled,  and  as  hour  after  hour 
slowly  passed  the  man  began  to  feel  sorely  worried.  He 
had  been  sent  by  Eudolph  on  the  previous  evening  on 
an  errand  to  Baden,  and  did  not  know  if,  or  when,  the 

222 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Baroness  Vetsera  had  left  Mayerling.  Finally,  anxious 
beyond  endurance,  he  tried  to  turn  the  knob  of  the 
door,  but  much  to  his  astonishment  found  that  it  was 
fastened  on  the  inside,  this  being  entirely  against  the 
Archduke's  usual  custom.  For  a  few  moments  he  stood 
motionless  and  then  knocked  twice  rapidly  on  the 
oaken  panel.  Eeceiving  no  answer  he  fled  down  to  the 
dining-room,  where  the  Prince  of  Coburg  and  Count 
Hoyds  were  waiting  for  their  breakfast.  Trembling  in 
every  limb,  Loschek  confusedly  tried  to  explain  to  them 
that  something  must  have  happened  to  the  Crown- 
prince,  intermixing  his  incoherent  statements  with 
allusions  to  the  visit  of  Marie  Vetsera,  which  were,  of 
course,  absolutely  unintelligible  to  his  amazed  hearers. 
Gathering,  however,  from  what  he  said  that  something 
very  much  out  of  the  ordinary  had  occurred,  the  Prince 
and  the  Count,  followed  by  the  terrified  Loschek,  ran 
upstairs  three  steps  at  a  time,  and  in  their  turn  began 
an  assault  upon  the  door,  which,  when  they  obtained 
no  sign  of  life  from  within,  ended  in  their  bursting  it 
open. 

The  scene  which  met  their  gaze  was  of  a  nature  to 
strike  the  most  self-contained  person  with  horror.  On 
the  lounge  near  the  window  lay  the  body  of  Marie 
Vetsera,  still  dressed  in  her  dark  serge  gown,  but  with 
all  the  violets  of  her  two  bouquets  scattered  about  her. 
Her  white  face,  outlined  against  the  crimson  silk  of  the 
cushion  upon  which  her  head  was  resting,  seemed  cut 
out  of  marble.  Half  leaning  against  her  shoulder,  half 
upon  the  floor,  lay  the  Crown-prince,  his  hunting-suit 
drenched  with  blood,  and  his  lifeless  hand  still  grasping 
a  heavy  cavalry  revolver.  Crazed  with  grief  and  amaze- 
ment, the  three  men  bent  over  Rudolph  to  see  whether 
life  was  really  quite  extinct.     One  look  at  the  shattered 

223 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

skull,  however,  sufficed  to  show  them  that  all  hope 
had  fled.  Prince  von  Coburg,  stepping  back  with  an 
exclamation  of  dismay,  trod  upon  something  which  he 
mechanically  picked  up.  It  was  a  small  empty  bottle 
of  brown  crystal,  which  was  labelled  "strychnia."  Me- 
chanically also  he  placed  it  on  a  neighbouring  table, 
and  with  the  help  of  his  two  companions  lifted  the  form 
of  the  Crown-prince  from  the  ground  and  laid  it  upon 
the  bed.  Then  they  all  hurried  from  the  room,  and 
closing  the  door  after  them,  walked  down-stairs,  feeling 
as  numb  and  unnerved  as  if  they  were  just  awakening 
from  some  dreadful  nightmare. 

When  they  had  had  sufficient  time  to  recover  their 
senses  to  some  extent,  Prince  Phillip  ordered  the  entire 
household  to  be  brought  before  him,  and  making  them 
take,  each  separately,  an  oath  of  absolute  secrecy,  he 
gave  directions  that  the  entrance  to  the  castle  and  to 
the  castle  grounds  should  be  denied  to  everybody  with- 
out distinction  of  sex  or  rank. 

Before  starting  for  Vienna,  where  the  Prince  was 
sending  him  to  carry  the  terrible  news  to  the  unfortunate 
parents  of  the  dead  man,  Count  Hoyos  decided  that  it 
would  be  best  to  enter  the  death-room  once  more  in 
order  to  make  certain  that  the  Crown-prince  had  not 
left  behind  him  some  letter  or  writing  of  some  kind 
which  would  throw  light  upon  the  situation.  This 
second  examination  of  the  premises  brought  about  the 
discovery  of  four  letters  lying  upon  the  table  which 
stood  at  the  head  of  the  bed,  addressed  respectively  to 
the  Emperor,  the  Empress,  Divisional  Superintendent 
Szoegyenyi,  and  the  Duke  of  Braganza,  a  very  dear 
friend  of  Kudolph's,  beside  which  lay  a  crumpled  piece 
of  paper,  whereon  were  written,  in  Marie  Vetsera's  hand, 
the  following  words: 

224 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

"  Dear  Mother, — I  am  going  to  die  for  Rudolph  ;  we  love  each 
other  too  deeply  to  endure  existence  apart  from  each  other,  and  a  cruel 
fate  which  nothing  can  alter  has  made  it  impossible  that  we  should  ever 
belong  to  each  other.  He  has  had  to  give  his  father  his  word  of 
honour  that  he  would  never  see  me  again.  There  are  circumstances 
which  prevent  our  union,  circumstances  which  I  can  discuss  least  of 
all  with  you.     I  am  happier  to  die  than  to  live.     Forgive  me. 

"  Your  unhappy  Marie." 

This  note,  written  with  a  pencil  and  evidently  in 
a  great  hurry,  was  blistered  with  tears.  The  letter 
addressed  by  Rudolph  to  the  Duke  of  Braganza,  unlike 
those  addressed  to  the  Emperor  and  Empress,  was  un- 
sealed, and  contained  these  few  words : 

"  Dear  Friend, — /  must  die.  In  honour  I  can  do  nothing  else. 
Good-bye.     The  blessing  of  God  be  with  you.  Rudolph." 

To  Divisional  Superintendent  Szoegyenyi,  the  Crown- 
prince  wrote : 

"  Dear  Szoegyenyi, — You  will  rind  herein  enclosed  a  codicil  act 
in  accordance  with  my  last  will  and  testament  made  two  years  ago. 
You  will  find  in  my  study  at  the  Hof  burg  most  of  my  papers,  and  I 
leave  it  to  your  discretion  to  decide  which  of  them  seem  fit  for  publi- 
cation. These  papers  are  locked  up  in  the  drawer  of  the  table  which 
stands  near  the  sofa,  and  so  I  also  enclose  the  little  golden  key  where- 
with to  open  it.  When  you  receive  these  few  lines  I  shall  be  no 
more.  I  must  die.  Give  my  most  affectionate  remembrance  to  all 
my  friends.     May  God  bless  our  beloved  country.  Rudolph." 

The  Count,  putting  all  these  various  documents  in 
his  pocket-book,  drove  furiously  to  the  station  at  Baden, 
where  he  jumped  into  the  first  train  he  could  catch  for 
Vienna,  and  before  mid-day  he  had  reached  the  Hofburg, 
where  his  appearance  in  hunting-dress,  and  with  a  face 
perfectly  death-like  in  its  awful  pallor,  struck  with 
amazement  all  those  who  met  him  during  his  rapid 
progress  to  the  door  of  the  Empress's  apartments. 

225  Q 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

General-Adjutant  Count  Paar,  who  was  on  duty  at 
that  moment,  undertook  to  lead  the  Count  immediately 
to  the  Empress. 

She  was  sitting  at  her  writing-table,  which  was 
surmounted  by  a  large  portrait  of  the  Crown-prince  in 
hunting-suit — just  such  a  costume  as  that  in  which  he 
was  clad  when  his  stiffening  corpse  had  been  found  that 
very  morning  by  the  man  who  now  stood  shaking  from 
head  to  foot  and  hardly  able  to  control  the  violence  of 
his  emotions  before  this  poor  mother,  as  yet  ignorant  of 
the  crushing  blow  which  had  befallen  her. 

The  Empress,  at  this  sudden  and  incomprehensible 
intrusion  into  her  privacy,  and  after  a  quick  glance  at 
the  convulsed  features  of  both  gentlemen,  started  to  her 
feet  and,  pressing  her  hand  to  her  side,  exclaimed,  in  a 
short,  peremptory  fashion  not  habitual  to  her: 

"  What  is  it  ?  What  has  happened  ?  Something  is 
the  matter  with  Rudi.     Tell  me  at  once ! " 

Her  features  had  all  at  once  become  drawn  and  as 
colourless  as  the  white  morning-gown  which  she  wore. 
Count  Hoyos,  who  would  have  given  all  he  possessed 
to  be  miles  away,  was  forced  to  relate  as  best  he  could 
the  main  points  of  the  tragedy  which  he  had  come  to 
reveal. 

Standing  upright  before  him,  her  blue  eyes  frightfully 
dilated  by  a  fixed  expression  of  indescribable  horror, 
Elizabeth  swayed  for  a  second  as  if  she  were  going  to 
fall;  then  straightening  herself  again,  without  a  tear, 
but  with  a  kind  of  dry,  gasping  sob  choking  her  utter- 
ance, she  murmured: 

"  The  Emperor — don't  tell  him ;  it  must  be  I  who 
break  it  to  him.  Wait  for  me  here ;  do  not  say  a  word 
to  anyone  ;  I  will  be  back  !  "  and  swiftly,  almost  running, 
she  left  her  room  and   rushed   towards    her    husband's 

226 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

study,  where  she  knew  that  he  would  then  be  at  work 
upon  the  affairs  of  the  State.  As  she  opened  the  door 
and  entered  the  spacious  apartment  where  the  Sovereign 
was  employed  in  signing  papers,  handed  to  him  one  by 
one  by  his  aides-de-camp,  she  said,  shortly : 

"Franz,  I  must  speak  to  you  alone." 

With  a  wave  of  the  hand  the  Emperor  dismissed  his 
aides,  and  the  imperial  couple  were  left  alone  together. 

Half  an  hour  later,  Count  Paar  and  Count  Hoyos, 
who  were  discussing  in  an  awed  whisper  the  dreadful 
drama  of  Mayerling,  saw  Franz-Joseph  enter  the  room,  his 
eyes  swollen  with  weeping,  and  his  whole  countenance 
quivering  with  distress.  With  him  was  the  Empress, 
just  as  pale,  just  as  calm,  and  just  as  self-possessed  as 
she  had  been  when  she  left  them.  She  drew  a  chair 
forward  for  the  Emperor  and  gently  motioned  him 
towards  it,  taking  hold  of  his  hand  and  mutely  caressing 
it,  while  he  sat  down  upon  the  proffered  seat  with  a 
broken  exclamation  of: 

"  So  it  is  true — really  true ! " 

Again  the  stalwart  man  broke  down,  and  sobbed  con- 
vulsively, the  Empress  bending  over  him  and  soothing 
and  consoling  him  as  if  he  were  a  child  in  pain. 

Ah  yes !  he  might  well  send  his  celebrated  message 
to  the  people  of  Vienna  a  few  days  later,  when  thanking 
them  for  the  sympathy  which  they  had  shown  to  him 
in  his  troubles — a  message  which  ran  as  follows : 

"  Tell  my  people  that  it  is  thanks  to  the  courage  and  devotion  of 
that  noble  woman,  the  Empress,  that  I  have  not  given  way  to  absolute 
despair." 

Meanwhile  Crown-princess  Stephanie  was  sitting  at 
her  piano  playing  some  new  melodies  which  had  been 
sent   to   her  that   morning.     She   wore   a  pink   crepon 

227 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

peignoir,  much  adorned  with  lace,  and  on  her  light  hair 
a  coquettish  little  combination  of  ribbons  and  lace.  So 
loud  was  her  playing  that  she  did  not  hear  the  door 
open,  and  was  very  much  startled  when,  without  any 
warning,  her  husband's  father  and  mother  stood  before 
her.  She  was  not  used  to  such  visits,  for  especially 
during  the  last  few  days  she  had  clearly  noticed  how 
distasteful  her  society  seemed  to  be  to  both  the  Emperor 
and  Empress.  Realizing  that  something  extraordinary 
had  happened,  and  not  being  very  easy  in  her  own 
conscience,  she  turned  to  her  father-in-law  and  said, 
breathlessly,  as  if  she  had  just  been  running  hard :  "  Is 
Rudolph  really  ill?     Have  you  bad  news?" 

The  Emperor  replied,  in  a  trembling  voice :  "  Yes, 
we  have  bad  news.     Very  bad  news." 

The  Crown-princess  recoiled  a  few  steps,  and  with 
an  awful  scream,  which  rang  throughout  that  entire 
wing  of  the  palace,  she  fell  headlong  at  the  Empress's 
feet,  her  face  touching  the  carpet,  shrieking  out  in  a 
wild,  almost  unearthly  fashion :  "  He  is  dead,  and  it  is 
I  who  have  killed  him!" 

She  became  so  violently  hysterical  that  it  was  only 
with  the  greatest  trouble  that  the  Emperor  and  Empress 
could  hold  her  down  upon  the  sofa  whereon  they  had 
laid  her.  At  last  her  moans  and  sobs  subsided,  and  she 
asked  for  explanations,  declaring  that  she  would  start 
at  once  for  Mayerling. 

"  It  is  impossible  that  you  should  go  there,"  said  the 
Empress,  sternly.  "You  are  not  in  a  fit  condition  to 
undertake  anything  of  the  kind.  I  will  send  for  your 
physicians,  and  you  will  go  and  lie  down  until  you 
have  somewhat  recovered  your  strength."  Then  turning 
to  her  husband,  Elizabeth  said,  softly  : 

"  Leave  her  with  me,  Franz ;  you  have  gone  through 

228 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

too  much  already.     All  this  additional  agitation  is  very 
bad  for  you." 

"  And  you — what  about  you  ?  "  he  answered,  clasping 
her  hands  in  a  passionate  grasp. 

"  It  will  be  time  for  me  to  give  way  later,"  she 
replied,  drawing  him  towards  the  door  and  out  of  the 
room.     "  I  have  other  things  to  think  of  just  now." 

Indeed,  when  she  did  "find  time  to  think  of  herself" 
she  fell  into  a  fainting  fit,  which  resembled  death  so 
closely  that  two  hours  elapsed  before  the  physicians  in 
attendance  upon  her  were  able  to  pronounce  as  to 
whether  she  would  ever  recover  consciousness  or  not. 

The  impression  caused  at  Vienna  and  throughout  the 
entire  Austro-Hungarian  Empire  by  the  astounding  news 
of  the  Crown-prince's  death  is  quite  indescribable.  The 
streets  were  filled  to  overflowing  with  crowds  of  sobbing 
people,  and  the  newspaper  offices  were  on  the  point  of 
being  taken  by  storm  by  the  populace  when  it  was  found 
that  no  details  about  the  heir  apparent's  death  were  to 
be  published.  Thanks  to  the  sagacious  intervention  of 
Duchess  Ludovica  in  Bavaria,  Empress  Elizabeth's 
mother,  the  Emperor  was  brought  to  understand  that 
it  was  absolute  folly  to  try  to  conceal  any  longer  from 
the  public  the  fact  that  Rudolph  had  committed  suicide. 
Duchess  Ludovica  was,  as  I  have  had  occasion  to  say  ere 
this,  a  very  remarkable  woman,  and  the  Emperor,  who 
is  no  mean  judge  of  character,  had  the  highest  opinion 
of  his  mother-in-law's  acumen,  and  was  only  too  glad 
to  lean  upon  her  and  to  take  her  advice  in  this  as  in 
many  other  matters  at  that  critical  period  of  his 
existence. 

Special  editions  of  the  official  newspaper  appeared 
therefore  heavily  bordered  with  black,  and  stating  that 
in    a    moment    of    temporary    aberration    Crown-prince 

229 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Archduke  Budolph  of  Austro-Hungary  had  taken  his 
own  life.  There  was  also  a  manifesto,  which  was  signed 
by  the  Emperor,  printed  beneath  this  announcement, 
and  couched  in  the  following  words : 

"  To  my  People  : 

"  Deeply  moved  by  a  sorrow  too  profound  for  words,  I  humbly  bow 
before  the  inscrutable  decrees  of  a  Providence  which  has  chosen  to  afflict 
myself  and  my  people,  and  I  pray  Almighty  God  to  grant  to  us  all  the 
courage  to  bear  the  load  of  our  irreparable  loss,"  etc. 

A  special  train  was  sent  on  the  30th  of  January  to 
Baden,  conveying  the  doctors  and  surgeons  who  were 
intrusted  with  the  autopsy  of  the  Crown-prince.  Among 
these  were  Doctors  Widerhofer,  Hoffman,  and  Kundrat. 
The  protocol  of  this  autopsy  states  that  Crown-prince 
Eudolph's  death  "  was  caused  by  a  fracture  of  the  frontal 
bone  produced  by  the  bullet  of  a  large-calibre  revolver, 
discharged  at  short  range,  the  projectile  penetrating  the 
brain  and  passing  out  of  the  skull  at  the  base  of  the 
cerebrum." 

While  this  was  taking  place,  and  while  so  many  were 
thinking,  to  the  exclusion  of  everything  else,  about  the 
dead  Prince,  what  had  become  of  the  young  girl  whose 
self-inflicted  death  had  determined  him  to  kill  himself 
while  she  was  still  near  to  him  ?  By  the  care  of  Count 
Bombelles,  the  Crown-prince's  tutor  and  best  friend,  who 
had  been  sent  immediately  by  the  Emperor  to  take 
charge  of  everything  at  Mayerling,  the  fair  body  of 
Marie  Vetsera  was  concealed  in  a  room  which  Count 
Bombelles  himself  locked  with  his  own  hands. 

On  the  night  of  the  31st  of  January  a  small  postern- 
door  in  the  northern  wing  of  the  castle  was  stealthily 
opened,  and  another  black,  unadorned  coffin  was  carried 
by  four  trustworthy  attendants  into  the  depths  of  the 

230 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

woods,  where  another fourgon  awaited  it.  It  was  conveyed 
as  secretly  as  possible  to  the  chapel  of  Heiligenkreutz, 
and  from  there,  twenty-four  hours  later,  to  a  distant 
railway  station,  where  it  was  embarked  for  Trieste, 
and  taken  thence  to  Venice.  It  was  only  then  that 
"  Baronin  "  Vetsera,  the  mother  of  Marie,  and  the  Baltazzi 
family  announced  publicly  the  death  of  the  young  girl, 
and  had  her  remains  formally  brought  from  Venice  to 
Pardubitz,  where  the  family  vault  is  situated. 

Of  course  it  goes  without  saying  that  the  secret  was 
not  absolutely  preserved,  and  that  soon  a  loud  rumour 
arose  to  the  effect  that  Marie  Vetsera  had  not  died  in 
Venice,  but  at  Mayerling,  and  that  she  had  been  shot 
by  the  Crown-prince.  This  has  been  more  than  disproved 
by  the  autopsy  performed  upon  Marie,  which  revealed 
the  fact  that  she  had  died  from  strychnine  poisoning,  and 
that  her  death  had  preceded  that  of  the  Crown-prince  by 
more  than  two  hours. 

Could  anything  have  been  more  dreadful  than  the 
despair  of  the  unfortunate  young  man  when,  after  having 
disclosed  to  his  beloved  the  true  reason  which  made  it 
impossible  for  him  to  fulfil  his  promise  of  marrying  her 
as  soon  as  he  had  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  dissolution 
of  his  union,  he  found  that  she  had  swallowed  the  deadly 
drug  which  she  had  brought  with  her?  When,  a  few 
minutes  later,  she  breathed  her  last  in  his  arms,  no  wonder 
indeed  that,  seeing  his  honour  jeopardized,  his  hopes 
dashed  to  the  earth,  and  his  entire  existence  ruined,  he 
should  have  decided  to  end  his  own  career  without  any 
further  delay ! 

The  crumpled  letter  which  Marie  had  written  to  her 
mother  was  not  the  only  one  of  the  sort  found,  for 
when  her  dress  was  removed  another  sheet  of  paper, 
evidently  torn  out  of  a  book,  was  discovered  secreted 

231 


THE    MARTYRDOM    OF    AN    EMPRESS 

in  the  corsage.     It  was  intended  for  her  sister,  and  I 
give  here  a  copy  of  it : 

"  He  has  told  me  all.  I  cannot  tell  you  what  he  did  tell  me.  I  can 
never  be  his  now.  I  am  alone  for  a  moment,  while  he  has  gone  down 
to  send  away  Bratfisch.  I  knew  that  something  dreadful  would  happen 
to  prevent  our  being  happy,  so  I  brought  the  poison  with  me,  and  I  am 
going  to  drink  it.  When  he  returns  it  will  be  too  late  to  save  me,  and 
I  will  die  in  his  arms,  happy  to  be  with  him  till  the  last.  Forgive  me 
and  love  me,  pray  for  me,  and  take  care  of  our  poor  mother.  She  will 
feel  this  more  than  you  can  think  or  know." 

The  Vetsera  family  left  on  February  3rd  for  Italy, 
while  the  court,  immediately  after  the  Crown-prince's 
funeral,  abandoned  Vienna  for  Buda-Pesth. 

Before  leaving  his  Austrian  capital  the  Emperor  took 
all  necessary  steps  to  insure  the  absence  from  Austria 
of  all  those  who  had  been  directly  concerned  with  this 
fearful  affair.  Countess  Larisch,  in  high  disgrace,  went 
to  travel  abroad ;  Count  Hoyds  and  the  Prince  of  Coburg 
both  left  the  country ;  and  as  to  Bratfisch  and  Loschek, 
who  had  been  provided  with  the  means  to  live  in  idleness 
for  the  rest  of  their  days  if  so  they  chose,  they  disap- 
peared completely  from  view. 

It  was  a  long  time  before  the  Emperor  could  forgive 
or  forget  the  unguarded  words  pronounced  by  Prince 
Phillip  of  Coburg,  who  when  speaking  to  several  eager 
auditors  said : 

"Do  not  ask  me  how  this  awful  catastrophe  hap- 
pened. We  are  forced  to  draw  a  veil  over  such  doings. 
It  is  sad  enough  that  it  should  have  happened !  For 
Heaven's  sake,  do  not  ask  why  it  did." 


232 


CHAPTER    XII 

The  first  anniversary  of  the  Crown-prince's  death  was 
celebrated  with  much  solemnity  throughout  Austria 
and  Hungary  by  the  people.  But  the  clergy  in  quite 
a  number  of  places  created  a  painful  impression  by 
refusing  to  perform  the  Seelen-Mcsse,  or  Bout  de  VAn 
mass,  in  consequence  of  the  circumstances  connected  with 
the  Prince's  death.  The  most  glaring  instance  of  this 
utter  absence  of  charity  was  at  Botzen,  in  the  Tyrol, 
where  the  widowed  Crown-princess  was  staying.  Having 
sent  to  request  the  dean  of  the  cathedral  to  celebrate 
the  customary  mass  for  the  repose  of  her  husband's  soul, 
he  curtly  declined  either  to  perform  it  himself  or  to 
permit  it  to  take  place  in  the  cathedral.  The  ceremony, 
therefore,  was  performed  in  the  parish  church  of  Gries, 
a  little  village  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Botzen. 

Much  disagreeable  comment  was  caused  by  the  failure 
of  Stephanie  to  return  to  Vienna  upon  the  sad  anniver- 
sary, in  order  that  she  might  accompany  the  Emperor, 
the  Empress,  and  Archduchess  Valerie  to  Mayerling  for 
the  purpose  of  being  present  with  them  at  the  ceremony 
of  the  consecration  of  the  chapel  erected  on  the  spot 
where  her  husband  met  his  death.  It  was  positively 
expected  that  she  would  have  made  a  point  of  spending 
the  day  with  her  little  daughter,  and  that  she  would 
have  followed  their  majesties'  example  in  passing  a  few 
moments  in  prayer  at  the  Archduke's  tomb  in  the  vaults 
of   the    Capuchin    church    at    Vienna.      But    she    very 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

unwisely  absented  herself,  an  act  which  gave  great  pain 
to  all  those  who  so  dearly  loved  the  dead  Prince. 

The  visit  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress  with  Arch- 
duchess Valerie  to  Mayerling  on  the  30th  of  January, 
just  a  year  after  the  frightful  death  of  poor  Rudi, 
was  marked  by  several  exceedingly  pathetic  incidents. 
The  scene  at  the  railway  terminus,  when  starting  on 
their  pilgrimage  to  the  fatal  spot,  was  pitiful  in  the 
extreme.  The  Emperor  had  offered  his  right  arm  to  his 
consort,  and  with  his  left  hand  he  was  gently  stroking 
the  small  black-gloved  hand  that  rested  upon  his  sleeve, 
as  he  bent  slightly  towards  her,  murmuring  words  of 
consolation.  Archduchess  Valerie  followed  close  behind. 
The  two  ladies  were  attired  in  the  deepest  mourning, 
and  were  weeping  bitterly.  On  reaching  the  chapel 
which  had  been  erected  on  the  scene  of  the  tragedy,  a 
mass  was  performed  by  the  abbot,  Baron  von  Grimmenstein, 
assisted  by  Court  Chaplain  Monsignor  Meyer,  the  priest 
kneeling  at  an  altar  of  exquisitely  carved  Istrian  marble, 
placed  on  the  very  spot  where  the  bed  had  stood  on 
which  the  Archduke  was  laid  out  by  Prince  von  Coburg 
and  Count  Hoyos,  after  the  discovery  of  the  suicide  by 
these  two  gentlemen.  The  chapel  is  built  in  antique 
Gothic  style,  and  is  entered  by  a  portal  supported  by 
four  pillars  of  Swedish  granite.  Statues  of  St.  Joseph 
and  St.  Theresa  guard  the  portico,  above  which  there 
is  a  magnificently  painted  window. 

The  only  persons  present  besides  the  imperial 
mourners  and  their  immediate  attendants  were  the 
Carmelite  nuns,  who  have  taken  possession  of  the  former 
shooting-lodge.  Their  Superior,  to  whom  the  Emperor 
addressed  a  few  gracious  words  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
service,  is  a  French  noblewoman,  the  young  Princess 
Jeanne  Bibesco,  whose  mother  was  a  Princess  d'Elchingen, 

234 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

and   a  member   of  the   family   of  the   famous  Marshal 
Ney. 

It  goes,  of  course,  without  saying  that  Stephanie 
has  never  forgotten  and  never  will  forget  the  decision 
taken  by  her  husband  several  years  before  his  death,  to 
the  effect  that  his  only  child,  Archduchess  Elizabeth, 
should  be  intrusted  absolutely,  without  any  restriction 
whatsoever,  to  the  sole  and  complete  guardianship  of 
Emperor  Franz- Joseph  and  Empress  Elizabeth  of  Austria, 
and  that  moreover  she  should  not  be  allowed  to  pass 
the  frontiers  of  Austro-Hungary  before  she  had  attained 
her  majority.  This  token  of  Rudolph's  post-mortem 
dislike  and  lack  of  confidence  was  hard  enough  to  bear 
without  there  having  been  added  to  it  the  wide-spread 
public  rumours  which  it  aroused. 

Archduchess  Elizabeth  was,  when  a  child,  one  of  the 
most  interesting  little  ladies  possible.  She  has  inherited 
all  her  father's  sweetness  of  temper,  and  bids  fair,  when 
she  is  quite  grown  up,  to  resemble  her  beautiful  grand- 
mother, Empress  Elizabeth.  Her  grandfather  dotes  on 
her,  and  seems  to  have  transferred  to  her  all  the  love 
he  bore  his  only  son.  The  idol  of  the  Viennese  people, 
who  call  her  die  hleine  frau  (the  little  woman),  she 
never  drives  out  without  receiving  a  perfect  ovation, 
and  many  eyes  fill  with  tears  of  pity  when  gazing  on 
the  tiny  princess,  so  early  and  so  tragically  deprived  of 
a  father's  love. 

A  few  years  ago  an  incident  occurred  which  is  so 
characteristic  of  the  little  Archduchess  that  it  is  worthy 
of  being  placed  on  record.  There  is  a  well-known  young 
ladies'  school  at  Dresden,  where  a  great  many  Viennese 
girls  are  sent,  when  they  reach  the  age  of  ten,  to  finish 
their  education  under  the  care  of  the  celebrated  Madame 
F ,   the   owner   of  the   school  in   question,  and  an 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Austrian  by  birth.  Until  the  autumn  of  the  time  to 
which  I  refer,  the  little  girls  were  in  the  habit  of  receiv- 
ing from  home,  once  a  month,  small  boxes  containing 
some  of  the  delicious  confectionery  for  which  Vienna  is 
renowned.  Unfortunately,  several  cases  of  sickness 
among  the  pupils  having  been  caused,  according  to  the 

house  physician,  by  too  many  bonbons,  Madame  F 

gathered  the  young  people  around  her  one  morning 
and  declared  to  them,  solemnly,  that  she  absolutely 
forbade  any  more  indulgences  of  this  nature,  and  that 
she  would  moreover  address  a  circular  to  the  children's 
parents  requesting  them  not  to  send  sweetmeats  or  any 
other  toothsome  dainties  to  them  during  their  stay  at 
her  school. 

The  edict  caused  terrible  consternation  among  the 
little  gourmandes.  There  came  very  near  being  an 
open  revolt  against  so  arbitrary  a  measure,  and  matters 
were  looking  very  black  indeed  when,  suddenly,  a  dark- 
eyed,  fair-haired  little  beauty  of  eleven  summers  climbed 
on  a  table,  and  silencing  her  noisy  troop  of  comrades, 
harangued  them  as  follows : 

"  Children,"  she  exclaimed,  in  vibrating  accents,  "  we 
must  be  revenged !  We  cannot  allow  such  injustice ; 
we  will  not  submit  to  an  undeserved  punishment  which 
robs  us  of  our  only  pleasure.  Madame  is  an  Austrian, 
and  as  such,  she  must  submit  to  anything  done  by  our 
imperial  family.  Do  you  know  what?  We  will  send  a 
round-robin  to  our  little  Archduchess,  imploring  her  to 
forbid  madame  to  treat  us  so  cruelly." 

"What  little  Archduchess?  Who  is  she?  Where 
does  she  live?"  cried  such  of  her  excited  listeners  as 
were  not  Austrians. 

With  a  smile  of  pity  for  so  much  ignorance,  the 
speaker  explained  to  her  now  delighted  audience  that 

236 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AX  EMPRESS 

Archduchess  Elizabeth,  the  Emperor's  granddaughter, 
was  powerful  at  the  court  of  Vienna,  and  that  should 
she  consider  their  prayer  favourably,  the  whole  imperial 
family  would  come  forward,  if  necessary,  to  crush 
madame's  decree  against  the  importation  of  sweets. 

The  truth  of  this  statement  was  so  patent  that  with- 
out further  delay  the  little  girls  set  to  work  in  great 
glee  to  draw  up  their  petition — a  document  which  cost 
them  much  pain  to  compose,  and  which  ran  thus : 

"  Deak  Archduchess  Elizabeth, — We  love  you  and  your  grand- 
papa very  much,  and  we  are  here  in  Dresden  at  school,  where  we  are 
generally  pretty  well  satisfied.  To-day,  however,  something  awful 
has  happened.  Madame  has  forbidden  our  dear  parents  to  send  us 
any  more  bonbons  for  ever  so  many  years ;  no  more  sugar-plums,  no 
more  chocolates,  no  more  cakes,  nor  anything  sweet  and  good.  So  we 
want  to  ask  you  to  help  us  out  of  our  trouble,  dear  Archduchess! 
Please,  please  tell  your  dear  grandpapa  to  send  word  to  madame  that 
she  is  to  let  us  have  bonbons  again  as  before.  With  this  ardent 
prayer  we  close  our  letter.  Our  best  love  to  your  dear  grandpapa 
and  grandmamma.  We  all  kiss  your  little  hands,  and  remain  your 
true  and  respectful  little  compatriots." 

When  the  long  list  of  names  had  been  signed  to  this 
remarkable  epistle,  it  was  carefully  put  in  an  envelope 
and  addressed  to  "Die  Kleine  Frau  Ezherzogin  Elizabeth, 
p.  Ad.  Ihrcm  Grossvater,  den  Kaiser  von  OesterrcicJi, 
Wien."  (To  the  little  madame,  Archduchess  Elizabeth, 
care  of  her  grandpapa,  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  Vienna.) 
And  with  many  misgivings  and  heart-beatings  it  was 
duly  mailed. 

A  week  later,  Madame  F was  much  surprised  to 

receive   a    huge   box   addressed  to  "The   pupils  of  the 

F Institute,  Dresden."     It  came  from  Vienna,  and 

was  stamped  on  the  lid  with  the  imperial  coat-of-arms. 
She    immediately   summoned   all   the    children,   and   as 

237 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

soon  as  they  caught  sight  of  the  gigantic  package,  the 
little  Austrian  conspirators  huddled  together,  whispering 
to  one  another,  with  glowing  faces  and  glistening  eyes. 

On  the  top  of  the  box  lay  a  pink  and  silver  card,  on 
which  was  written,  in  a  round,  childish  hand :  "  From 
Archduchess  Elizabeth,  to  her  dear  little  compatriots 
in  Dresden." 

Under  the  card  was  a  letter  sealed  with  the  imperial 

crest,    which    Madame    F opened   and   read    with 

boundless  amazement.  It  was  written  by  Countess 
Coudenhove,  the  lady-in-waiting  to  the  little  Arch- 
duchess, who  said  that  as  a  rule  no  notice  was  taken  of 

such   petitions   as  had  been  sent  by  Madame  F 's 

little  Austrian  pupils,  but  that  in  this  instance  the 
little  Archduchess  had  begged  so  hard  to  be  permitted 
to  grant  it  that  their  Majesties  had  allowed  her  to  choose 
and  send  the  contents  of  the  box  to  her  dear  little  com- 
patriots, with  the  wish  that  they  might  be  allowed  to 
enjoy  them  to  their  hearts'  content. 

With  shouts  of  joy  the  children,  now  almost  beside 
themselves  with  delight,  crowded  round  the  box  to 
examine  its  sweet  and  fragrant  contents.  Nothing  can 
give  an  idea  of  their  enthusiasm  when,  one  after  another, 
boxes  of  exquisite  bonbons  of  all  descriptions  were  brought 
to  light — boxes  made  of  daintily  tinted  silks  with  the 
imperial  arms  and  crown  stamped  in  gold  on  each  of 
them;  bags  of  silver  tissue  tied  with  azure  ribbons  and 
filled  with  chocolate  pralines,  each  of  which  was  wrapped 
in  multi-coloured  tissue-paper,  with  devices  and  mottoes  ; 
marvellous  bars  of  Viennese  nougatine  enclosed  in  satin 
wrappers,  on  which  the  pictures  of  the  Emperor  and 
Empress  were  painted  in  water-colours ;  tiny  crystal 
bonbonnieres  containing  sugared  petals  of  roses  and 
violets    and    orange    blossoms,    certainly    prepared    by 

238 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

fairies  for  the  special  delectation  of  good  little  Austrian 
subjects  of  his  royal  and  imperial  majesty,  the  Emperor 
Franz-Joseph !      The     shouts     almost     deafened     poor 

Madame  F ,  who,  not  so  very  black  at  heart  after 

all,  could  only  end  by  forgiving  her  pupils,  to  whom 
she  suggested  that  in  return  for  the  kindness  and 
favour  just  received,  they  would  do  well  to  embroider 
a  handsome  bed-quilt  for  their  little  benefactress.  This 
piece  of  work  was  duly  brought  to  completion,  and  it 
was  superb,  all  the  little  ladies  having  laboured  at  it 
with  a  will,  while  they  nibbled  now  and  again  some  of 
the  Archduchess's  exquisite  bonbons,  loyal  little  Austrian 
monarchists  for  ever !  The  quilt  was  presented  to  her 
imperial  highness  upon  her  birthday,  and  gave  her  much 
pleasure. 


230 


CHAPTER   XIII 


IX   MEMORIAM 


•'  Of  all  the  crimes  of  anarchy — a  catalogue  accurst — 
This  latest  act  of  infamy  must  be  adjudged  the  worst; 
Never  has  base  assassin  struck  a  fouler,  blacker  blow 
Than  that  with  which  this  callous  fiend  has  laid  the  Empress  low. 

•'  The  world  stands  startled  and  aghast ;  the  brain  of  Europe  reels ; 
Her  tongue  can  scarcely  speak  as  yet  the  sympathy  she  feels; 
But  where  is  there  a  heart  to-day  not  thrilled  by  pity  deep 
For  her  who  died,  and  for  the  man  who  lives  her  loss  to  weep?" 

In  December,  1897,  Elizabeth's  health  seemed  to  begin 
to  fail  completely.  She  was  at  the  time  staying  in 
Biarritz,  and  suffered  from  neuritis  to  such  an  extent 
that  the  gravest  doubts  were  entertained  as  to  the 
possibility  of  her  enduring,  even  courageous  as  she  was, 
for  any  great  length  of  time,  the  bodily  torture  which  she 
was  undergoing.  Finally  she  made  up  her  mind  to  go 
to  Paris  in  order  to  place  herself  in  the  hands  of  Dr. 
Metzger,  who  is  a  specialist  of  world-wide  renown  in 
all  nervous  troubles.  Dr.  Metzger  is  an  original,  and 
refuses  squarely  to  call  upon  any  patients,  whatever 
their  rank  or  wealth  may  be,  the  consequence  of  this 
rule,  which  is  as  adamantine  as  the  laws  of  the  Medes 
and  Persians,  being  that  his  reception-rooms  are  every 
day  crowded  with  an  extraordinary  number  of  aristocratic 
patients,  who  in  order  to  benefit  by  his  treatment,  which 

240 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

is    chiefly    one    of   massage,    submit   to   long    hours   of 
wretchedness  while  waiting  for  him. 

With  her  dislike  for  appearing  in  public,  the  Empress 
would  not  consent  to  go  to  the  doctor's  at  his  usual 
consultation  hours,  and  made  a  point  of  arriving  at  his 
house  early  in  the  morning,  and  before  the  rooms  in 
which  the  massage  was  performed  had  had  sufficient 
time  to  become  thoroughly  heated.  This  resulted  in 
the  treatment  doing  her  more  harm  than  good,  and, 
thoroughly  discouraged,  she  abandoned  it,  and  started 
for  San  Remo,  where  she  consulted  the  celebrated  Dr. 
Nothnagel.  He  was  perfectly  astounded  at  the  courage 
which  the  Empress  displayed,  for  as  he  described  it 
himself,  the  pain  which  she  suffered  throughout  the 
whole  network  of  her  nervous  system  must  have  resembled 
that  which  is  caused  by  the  exposed  nerve  of  a  tooth 
when  it  is  touched  by  some  sharp  instrument. 

She  hardly  ever  slept,  and  ate  scarcely  anything,  but 
in  spite  of  all  this,  her  admirable,  almost  supernatural, 
fortitude  never  left  her,  and  her  patience  and  continual 
kindness  to  her  entourage  were  something  simply  wonder- 
ful. She  busied  herself  as  usual  with  her  books,  her 
music,  and  her  drawings,  took  long  walks  along  the 
sunny,  palm-bordered  roads  which  surround  San  Remo  on 
three  sides,  and  her  love  for  flowers  seemed  to  increase, 
for  she  maintained  that  they  were  now  her  dearest  com- 
panions. Her  rooms  were  simply  filled  with  blossom- 
ing plants,  palms,  and  ferns,  for  all  of  which  she  had  a 
great  predilection.  When  during  her  wanderings  about 
the  country  she  happened  upon  some  peculiarly  choice 
blossom,  she  used  to  bring  it  home  with  her,  place  it 
herself  in  a  vase,  and  carry  it  at  night  into  her  bedroom, 
where  she  placed  it  beside  her  couch,  so  that  she  might 
during  her  long  insomnia  gaze  at  its  beauty  and  refresh 

241  R 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

her  tired  eyes  by  admiring  the  loveliness  of  petals  and 
foliage. 

During  a  short  stay  which  she  made  at  Yillefranche, 
on  the  Riviera,  she  happened  to  notice  growing  in  the 
garden  of  the  mayor  of  that  little  city  some  truly 
magnificent  carnations,  the  official  in  question  being  a 
passionate  collector  of  these  fragrant  flowers,  who  spared 
neither  trouble  nor  expense  to  secure  the  finest  specimens 
which  it  was  possible  for  him  to  get  for  love  or  money. 
Indeed,  he  looked  upon  this  collection  with  the  tender 
jealousy  of  a  fond  mother  towards  her  offspring,  and  woe 
to  the  sacrilegious  hand  ever  extended  to  touch  one  of 
the  enormous  satiny  blossoms. 

The  Empress  gazed  longingly  at  the  luxuriant  rows 
of  multicoloured  carnations,  and  finally,  quite  unable 
to  conquer  her  desire  to  gather  a  few  of  them,  she  rang 
the  gate  bell,  and  in  her  simple,  winning  way  begged 
very  sweetly  for  one  or  two  of  the  coveted  flowers.  The 
gardener,  trembling  in  his  boots  lest  his  master  should 
arrive  at  this  inopportune  moment,  nevertheless  was  not 
proof  against  the  request  which  the  imperial  lady  so 
charmingly  proffered,  and,  wonder  of  wonders !  allowed 
her  to  pluck  two  carnations — a  gigantic  creamy  one  all 
flecked  with  soft  pink  and  a  monstrous  crimson  one — 
which  she  preciously  and  victoriously  bore  away,  her 
eyes  gleaming  with  pleasure. 

On  her  way  home  she  was  met  on  the  road  by  the 
mayor  himself,  who  recognized  both  his  property  and 
the  Empress,  and  who  hurried  into  his  beloved  garden 
and  called  his  guilty  gardener  to  account  in  the  following 
manner : 

"  So  you  give  away  my  flowers,  and  some  of  the  finest 
of  them,  too,  you  miscreant ! "  he  exclaimed,  with  assumed 
wrath. 

242 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

"Oh,  monsieur!"  quoth  the  old  man,  "the  lady  who 
asked  for  them  was  not  one  to  whom  one  could  refuse 
anything;  monsieur  would  have  given  them  to  her 
himself  had  he  been  here." 

"  Of  course  I  would,  you  dunderhead ! "  replied 
monsieur  le  mairc,  bursting  out  laughing.  "  Why,  it 
was  the  Empress  of  Austria  herself  who  was  here  a 
minute  ago,  and  she  can  have  all  the  carnations  she 
wants,  for  there  are  not  many  such  angels  promenading 
here  below.  Come,  now,  with  me,  and  we  will  gather  a 
bouquet  for  her  such  as  not  even  all  her  imperial  green- 
houses can  furnish  her  ! " 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  words,  the  worthy  mayor 
descended    upon    his   parterres    and    sacked   them   with 
such   an   unsparing  hand  that  he  had  soon  a  sheaf  of 
long-stemmed   carnations   which   were   truly   worthy  an 
Empress's    acceptance!      The    gardener,   following    him 
dutifully,  almost  dropped  dead  in  the  extremity  of  his 
astonishment   at   the   spectacle   of   so    unprecedented   a 
raid  upon  the  priceless  collections,  and  he  had  by  no 
means    recovered    from    his    stupefaction   when   he  was 
despatched  post-haste  to  carry  this  exquisite  gift  to  the 
Empress.     The  latter  was  just  on  the  point  of  leaving 
Villefranche  when  the  old  fellow,  quite  breathless  with 
hurry    and    excitement,    presented    himself   before    her. 
Deeply  touched  by  the  mayor's  sacrifice,  for  she  fully 
realized  what  it  must  have  cost  him  to  thus  ruthlessly 
saccagcr  his   beloved   flower-beds,   the    Empress    hastily 
drew  from  her  pocket-case  a  visiting-card,  upon  which 
was  simply  engraved     Elizabeth,"  beneath  an  imperial 
crown,  and  wrote  on  the  back  of  it,  "  Merci  de  tout  mon 
cozur  pour  voire  delicieusc  et  charmante  attention,  qui  m'a 
rendue  tres  heureuse." 

I  dare  say  that  the  Mayor  of  Villefranche  now  looks 

243 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

upon  this  little  card  as  one  of  his  most  precious  posses- 
sions and  preserves  it  as  he  would  a  relic. 

The  first  steps  taken  by  Dr.  Nothnagel  were  to  urge 
Elizabeth  to  adopt  a  more  strengthening  diet,  for  the 
Empress,  who  was  a  remarkably  small  eater,  was,  as  a 
rule,  satisfied  with  eating  fruit  and  drinking  milk,  of 
which  she  was  very  fond. 

To  be  sure,  when  in  her  own  palaces  she  gave  much 
attention  to  the  mentis  which  were  presented  to  her 
every  morning  by  the  chief  of  her  kitchens,  and  which 
she  altered  according  to  her  own  ideas  in  the  matter. 
No  table  in  the  whole  world  was  served  more  daintily 
or  artistically  than  that  of  the  Austrian  court.  Eliza- 
beth used  to  say  that  when  one  was  forced  to  sit  down 
at  meals  perfect  ease,  vast  space,  and  soft,  shadowy 
distances  were  absolutely  necessary  to  preserve  some 
sort  of  illusion.  Her  exquisitely  refined  taste  prevented 
her  from  appreciating  even  the  most  delicate  of  food 
when  not  served  in  a  thoroughly  recherche  manner,  and 
all  that  priceless  porcelain,  unique  crystal,  and  mous- 
seline  glasses,  as  well  as  antique  gold  and  silver  plate, 
could  do  to  etherealize  a  repast  was  done  at  Vienna, 
Buda-Pesth,  Godollo,  Ischl,  Lainz,  Achilleon,  or  wherever 
else  the  fair  sovereign  of  Austro-Hungary  graced  her 
imperial  abodes  with  her  presence. 

The  damask  was  so  fine  that  it  looked  like  satin,  and 
for  lunch  or  afternoon  tea  was  replaced  by  daintily 
hued  cloths  and  napkins  of  silk-cambric,  edged  with 
lace  and  adorned  with  the  imperial  crests  in  raised  gold 
embroidery,  a  transparency  of  heavy  silk  of  the  same 
tint  as  the  batiste  shimmering  through  this  delicate 
material.  So  prettily  were  the  viands  prepared  and 
dished  up  that  it  seemed  almost  a  pity  to  break  up  and 
eat  them.     The  fairies  themselves  might  have   feasted 

244 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

upon  the  tempting  pieces-montees  prepared  by  the  great 
artist  who  for  so  many  years  presided  over  the  imperial 
kitchens.  Mr.  Kienberger — for  such  was  the  name  of 
this  official — held  his  office  for  over  forty  years,  and  his 
ambition  consisted  in  making  each  dejeuner  or  dinner 
which  he  supervised  the  most  successful  thing  of  the 
kind  in  the  world.  Like  a  general  on  the  eve  of  battle, 
he  never  left  the  kitchens  and  still-rooms  of  the  palace 
during  the  last  twenty-four  hours  before  any  great 
entertainment  took  place.  He  personally  superintended 
every  detail,  and,  as  he  was  a  culinary  genius  himself, 
often  concocted  some  particularly  toothsome  delicacy 
which  he  alone  could  make.  He  also  was  a  great 
advocate  of  serving  things  artistically,  and  he  told  me 
one  day  very  gravely,  nay,  almost  solemnly,  that  he 
thought  a  pigeon  served  on  a  gold  dish  a  far  more 
appetizing  and  pleasing  viand  than  an  ortolan  sent  in 
on  a  common  china  plate. 

The  imperial  kitchens  were  kept  with  almost  military 
precision.  Every  imaginable  dainty  was  prepared  at 
the  Palace,  and  the  Empress  herself  came  down  every 
Monday  morning  to  stroll  through  the  kitchens  in  order 
to  see  that  everything  was  going  on  as  it  should. 

When  the  Empress  was  absent,  however,  matters 
were  not  always  quite  so  satisfactory ;  for  the  Emperor, 
who  is  a  most  abstemious  man,  does  not,  as  a  rule,  care 
much  about  what  is  placed  before  him,  is  contented  with 
the  plainest  kind  of  food,  and  rarely  makes  any  remarks 
on  the  subject.  Once,  however,  when  the  luncheon-tray 
was  brought  in,  he  said  to  his  aide-de-camp,  who  had 
been  working  with  him  in  his  study  during  the  whole 
morning : 

"You  lucky  fellow!  you'll  be  able  to  get  something 
irood  to  eat  at   a  restaurant  later  on,  but  1,  when  her 

245 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Majesty  is  away,  am  condemned  to  such  unpalatable  fare 
as  you  observe  there,"  and  he  pointed  with  a  melancholy 
shake  of  his  head  to  the  rather  unappetizing  lukewarm 
viands  which  lay  upon  the  tray. 

The  Emperor  is  a  pious  Catholic,  who  keeps  as 
strictly  to  his  fasts  as  he  does  to  his  early  rising.  At 
such  times  he  objures  all  meat,  and  contents  himself  with 
fish — a  dish  that  is  rather  of  a  rarity  in  Vienna — and 
various  kinds  of  omelets.  His  Majesty  takes  his  fish 
preferably  with  buttered  potatoes. 

The  Hofburg  cuisine  was,  when  deprived  of  Eliza- 
beth's supervision,  peculiarly  Viennese ;  it  was  only 
when  she  was  there  that  the  French  menu  had  any 
chance !  Viennese  cooking  is  closely  allied  to  the 
German  in  the  simplicity  and  want  of  variety  of  its 
dishes,  and  in  the  "  done-to-death "  character  of  the 
meats,  but  yet  it  is  decidedly  more  tasty  and  inventive, 
Kaiserschmarn  and  the  dumpling-like  knbdcl  having  a 
world-wide  reputation. 

In  the  summer  the  Emperor's  so-called  second  break- 
fast is  omitted,  and  he  contents  himself  with  a  five- 
o'clock  breakfast,  consisting  of  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a 
little  halte-auflage  (sliced  cold  sausage,  ham,  etc.).  His 
Majesty  sticks  to  his  desk  for  the  next  seven  hours 
with  scarcely  an  interruption.  At  noon  comes  the  lunch, 
or  gabel-fruhstuck,  consisting  of  a  soup  and  a  slice  of 
roast.  At  half-past  four  is  a  dinner  of  six  courses,  com- 
prising soup,  fish,  two  roasts,  pudding,  and  desserts, 
washed  down  with  Pilsener  beer  and  claret.  Liqueurs 
are  also  served,  but  Franz-Joseph  never  touches  them. 
When  he  has  risen  from  the  table,  the  Kaiser  has  finished 
his  eating  for  the  day  and  touches  nothing  more,  even 
when  in  the  evening  he  is  forced  to  stay  up  late. 
Ordinarily   he   is   in   bed   by   nine   o'clock,  and  to   his 

24G 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

regular,  moderate  life  he  owes  undoubtedly  his  longe- 
vity and  his  splendid  health.  This  is  how  the  Emperor 
lives  winter  and  summer,  but  the  arrangements  necessarily 
undergo  great  alterations  on  every  occasion  when  a  state 
function  takes  place. 

Then  the  splendour  and  lavishness  of  the  imperial 
table  know  no  limits.  All  the  royal  fruit  and  vegetables 
are  grown  in  the  country,  except  when  the  time  of  the 
year  absolutely  compels  their  purchase  abroad.  The 
wines  are  mostly  Austrian  or  Hungarian,  but  also  include 
Burgundies,  Moselles,  and  Rhine  wines,  as  well  as 
Champagne.  The  Emperor's  Tokay  wine,  grown  in  his 
own  vineyards — which  with  those  belonging  to  Prince 
Windishgratz  are  the  only  two  spots  on  this  earth  where 
real  genuine  Tokay  grows — enjoys  a  world-wide  reputa- 
tion. One  tiny  glass  of  it  perfumes  a  whole  room  with 
its  unequalled  "  bouquet,"  and  it  is  considered  so  precious 
that  all  the  world  was  agog  when  Franz-Joseph  sent  as 
a  jubilee  present  to  Queen  Victoria  a  case  of  this  price- 
less sunshiny  liquid.  At  the  court  of  Vienna  it  is  only 
served  on  the  grandest  possible  occasions,  and  is  otherwise 
reserved  for  cases  of  sickness. 

I  particularly  remember  a  dinner  given  in  honour  of 
the  King  and  Queen  of  Italy,  at  the  Hofburg,  some  years 
ago,  as  the  culminating  point  of  luxury  combined  with 
the  most  refined  and  exquisite  taste.  The  table-cloth  was 
strewn  with  forced  violets,  nestling  so  closely  together 
that  they  formed  a  perfect  bank  of  fragrant  blossoms, 
leaving  only  room  for  the  plates  of  semi-transparent 
Sevres,  of  the  famille-rose,  each  of  which  was  surrounded 
with  a  thick  garland  of  marguerites.  Marguerite  is  the 
Christian  name  of  the  Queen  of  Italy,  and  her  little 
namesakes  had  been  used  with  great  profusion  in  the 
decoration  of  the   festive   board.     Before   the   plate  of 

247 


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each  woman  present  a  slender,  tulip-shaped  vase  of 
Venetian  glass,  mounted  in  finely  wrought  gold,  contained 
a  bouquet  of  marguerites  and  violets  powdered  with 
gold-dust.  The  menus  were  engraved  on  thin  sheets  of 
hammered  gold,  with  the  Austrian  eagle  embossed  on 
the  corner.  Everything  was  served  on  gold  dishes,  and 
the  dessert-plates  were  a  marvel  of  beauty  worthy  of 
Benvenuto-Cellini.  When  the  sorbets  were  placed 
before  the  distinguished  guests  a  faint  murmur  of 
admiration  was  audible,  for  even  the  blase  eyes  of  people 
satiated  with  every  form  of  luxury  were  charmed  witli 
the  little  double-headed  eagles  made  of  delicately  spun 
sugar  perched  on  a  pale  mauve  glass  ball  containing  a 
tiny  electric  light.  On  the  back  of  each  diminutive 
bird  was  a  large  daisy,  also  made  of  spun  sugar,  wherein 
the  sorbets  were  served.  The  gold  plates  on  which  the 
whole  rested  were  garlanded  with  Parma  violets.  The 
dinner  was  really  what  one  may  describe  without 
exaggeration  as  being  the  apotheosis  of  gastronomy. 
The  dining-hall — scented  as  with  dreamy  incenses  and 
lighted  with  mellow  wax  candles,  the  soft  brilliancy 
of  which  would  have  entranced  even  Lucullus,  had 
he  been  throned  there  on  his  ivory  chair — was  a  sight 
to  be  remembered. 

Even  during  such  banquets  the  Empress  would  often 
partake  of  nothing  but  a  few  slices  of  wheat-bread,  a 
cup  of  bouillon,  and  some  fruit.  She  only  drank  wine 
when  the  doctors  absolutely  insisted  upon  her  doing  so, 
for  she  had  a  horror  for  all  spirituous  liquors,  and  her 
favourite  tipple,  as  she  used  laughingly  to  term  it,  was 
the  juice  of  many  oranges  poured  on  some  cracked  ice 
and  served  in  her  own  particular  goblet,  which  was  of 
the  thinnest  possible  crystal,  and  iridescent  like  a  soap- 
bubble. 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

One  can  therefore  imagine  how  much  she  was  annoyed 
when  Dr.  Nothnagel  prescribed  for  her  rare  steaks  and 
chops,  as  well  as  concentrated  essence  of  meat.  Never- 
theless, she  submitted  to  these  medical  orders,  and  was 
much  benefited  by  them,  so  much  so  indeed  that  from 
the  moment  when  she  thus  changed  her  diet  she  began 
to  mend  rapidly,  and  when,  in  the  spring  of  1898,  she 
arrived  at  Bath  Nauheim  she  had  completely  recovered 
her  strength.  Her  sojourn  in  Nauheim  was,  however, 
rendered  very  disagreeable  to  her  by  the  extraordinarily 
rude  behaviour  of  the  other  visitors  there.  There  were 
a  great  many  Germans,  a  nationality  which  Elizabeth 
never  could  endure.  A  striking  proof  of  this  is  that 
she  implored  the  instructors  and  tutors  of  her  children 
to  "make  them  as  little  German  as  possible." 

Every  time  the  sovereign  went  out  of  her  hotel  she 
found  herself  confronted  by  crowds  who  were  lying  in 
wait  for  her,  and  who  positively  went  so  far  as  well-nigh 
to  prevent  her  progress.  To  such  lengths  did  these  ill- 
bred  people  go  in  order  to  satisfy  their  curiosity,  that 
the  gentlemen  of  the  Empress's  suite  had  to  interfere 
bodily  lest  the  Empress  should  be  absolutely  smothered ! 
The  Empress,  who  disliked  beyond  all  things  to  be  stared 
at,  felt  perfectly  wretched  in  Nauheim,  and  consequently 
began  to  discuss  with  her  entourage  the  possibility  of 
going  to  a  place  where  she  could  spend  a  few  weeks  un- 
observed and  in  peace.  This  finally  led  to  her  selecting 
Switzerland  once  more,  although  she  had  no  sympathy 
for  the  Swiss  nation,  and  knew  well  that  Switzerland  is 
a  very  hotbed  of  anarchism,  a  land  where  every  being 
inoculated  with  nihilism  or  any  other  kind  of  revolu- 
tionary tendencies  seeks  refuge. 

Never  afraid  about  herself,  she  told  those  who  pointed 
this  out  again  to  her,  as  they  had  done  each  time  she 

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went  to  Switzerland  before,  that  there  was  no  reason 
for  alarm,  as  she  would  travel  incognito  under  the  name 
of  Countess  von  Hohenembs,  and  added : 

"It  is  the  Emperor  that  I  always  think  of,  with 
regard  to  the  crimes  daily  committed  by  anarchists, 
and  for  him  alone  that  I  fear  them.  I  myself  am  too 
unimportant  a  personage  to  attract  their  malevolence; 
for  it  is  so  well  known  that  I  have  never  meddled  in 
politics,  or  in  any  of  the  affairs  of  the  State,  and  that 
I  will  never  do  so,  that  I  hardly  count  in  anybody's 
eyes  as  a  sovereign  at  all ! " 

Shortly  after  this  conversation  took  place  the  Empress 
established  herself  at  Mount  de  Caux,  and  it  must  be 
acknowledged  she  enjoyed  such  quiet  as  she  had  been 
seeking.  Indeed,  she  wrote  several  times  to  the  Emperor 
telling  him  how  much  he  himself  would  be  benefited 
by  the  absolute  peace  which  she  had  found  there,  and 
asking  him  to  join  her  as  speedily  as  possible.  There 
was  something  singular  in  this  earnest  endeavour  on  the 
part  of  Elizabeth  to  decide  her  husband  to  hasten  his 
departure  from  Vienna.  One  might  almost  think  that 
it  was  a  sort  of  presentiment  which  overmastered  her 
usual  reluctance  to  express  any  personal  wish;  for, 
moreover,  she  knew  that  there  was  at  that  time  a  serious 
ministerial  crisis  at  Vienna,  and  that  therefore  it  would 
be  very  difficult  for  Franz-Joseph  to  leave  his  capital. 

Singularly  unfortunate  is  it  that  he  was  unable  to 
do  so,  and  he  must  now  feel  very  bitterly  the  weight 
of  this  refusal  of  his  to  spend  with  his  consort  the  last 
days  which  she  had  to  live  on  this  earth. 

Elizabeth  took  a  special  delight  in  walking  in  the 
fragrant  pine-woods,  which  reminded  her,  with  their 
needle-carpeted  moss,  of  her  dear  forests  in  Upper 
Austria.     She  came  back  from  these  long  strolls  with 

250 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

her  hands  full  of  mountain  flowers,  and  sent  some  in  the 
letters  which  she  wrote  daily  to  those  whom  she  loved. 

How  the  idea  came  into  her  head  to  make  the  un- 
fortunate excursion  to  Geneva,  which  ended  so  tragically 
for  her,  is  only  to  be  explained  by  yet  one  more  of  those 
kind  and  considerate  actions  by  which  her  entire  life 
was  marked. 

Baroness  Adolph  Rothschild,  whose  beautiful  villa 
of  Pregny  is  one  of  the  most  exquisite  spots  on  the 
banks  of  the  lake  of  Geneva,  had  once  been  very  kind 
to  the  Empress's  favourite  sister,  the  ex-Queen  of  Naples, 
and  that  at  the  time  when  this  unfortunate  sovereign, 
whom  the  French  writer,  Alphonse  Daudet,  chose  as 
the  heroine  of  his  celebrated  book,  Les  Bois  en  Exit, 
had  just  lost  her  crown  and  was  leading  a  miserable 
existence  in  Paris.  Elizabeth  never  forgot  this,  and 
although  she  had  a  well-defined  dislike  for  Israelites — 
with  the  exception  of  the  poet  Heine,  whom  she  admired 
greatly — yet  when  she  found  herself  so  close  to  Pregny 
she  decided  to  go  and  call  upon  Baroness  Rothschild, 
promising  herself  a  great  deal  of  pleasure,  not  only  in 
paying  this  little  debt  of  gratitude,  but  also  in  visiting 
the  magnificent  collection  of  orchids  which  is  one  of 
the  most  charming  fads  of  the  Baroness.  General- 
Adjutant  Baron  von  Berzeviczy,  who  was  in  attendance 
upon  the  Empress  at  the  time,  entreated  her  not  to  go 
to  Geneva,  or  at  least,  if  she  did  persist  in  undertaking 
the  trip,  not  to  stay  there  over  night. 

'What  an  old  martinet  you  are  becoming,  my  dear 
Berzeviczy,"  laughed  the  Empress.  "Really,  if  I  am 
not  careful  you  will  end  by  making  me  come  '  to  orders ' 
every  morning,  and  by  treating  me  with  quite  military 
tyranny !  Nevertheless,  I  am  going  to  risk  being  put 
under  arrest  by  you  for  disobedience,  as  I  am  going  to 

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Geneva  in  spite  of  all  that  yon  may  say  to  the  contrary ; 
and  what  is  more,  in  order  to  punish  you,  you  shall 
remain  here  with  the  remainder  of  my  suite  to  grumble 
to  your  heart's  content,  while  I  and  Countess  Sztaray, 
together  with  my  secretary,  Dr.  Kromar,  will  make  our 
little  fugue  I  I  am  starting  in  an  hour,  and  will  be  back 
to-morrow  evening." 

The  fears  entertained  by  the  Empress's  entourage,  were 
nothing  extraordinary,  for  there  were  few  who  did  not 
recall  to  mind  the  gross  outrage  to  which  she  was 
subjected  on  the  Italian  shore  of  the  Lago  di  Garda  a 
few  years  before.  She  was  making  a  tour  of  this  lake 
on  board  a  steam-launch.  Having  landed  with  the  ladies 
and  gentlemen  of  her  suite  at  a  small  Italian  town  on 
the  southern  extremity  of  the  lake,  she  was  greeted  by 
the  inhabitants  with  hisses  and  hideous  howls.  So 
menacing  indeed  did  the  attitude  of  the  mob  become, 
and  so  vile  and  outrageous  were  the  insulting  epithets 
addressed  to  the  imperial  lady,  that  she  was  forced  to 
beat  a  hasty  retreat  with  her  party  to  the  boat.  As 
the  latter  steamed  away  from  the  landing,  volleys  of 
stones  were  hurled  after  it  by  the  people  on  the  shore. 
The  two  or  three  revenue  officers  who  were  the  only 
representatives  of  the  Italian  government  present  at 
the  time  maintained  throughout  the  entire  scene  a 
perfectly  passive  attitude,  not  making  the  slightest 
attempt  to  protect  the  Kaiserin  from  the  jeers  and  insults 
of  the  populace. 

This  attack  was  all  the  more  shameful  as  the  Empress 
was  wearing  deep  mourning  for  Budi,  and  was  in  so 
delicate  a  state  of  health  that,  thoroughly  upset  by  the 
unfortunate  incident,  she  was  confined  to  her  apartments 
for  two  weeks  from  the  effect  it  had  had  upon  her 
nerves. 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Once  before  also  the  Empress  had  run  the  risk  of 
being  assassinated  by  an  Italian.  It  was  at  the  opening 
of  the  exhibition  at  Trieste,  in  the  early  eighties,  when 
an  Italian  Irredentist  threw  a  bomb  into  the  citadel, 
by  which  several  persons  were  wounded.  The  Emperor 
and  Empress,  with  the  Crown-prince,  were  to  visit  the 
exhibition  a  fortnight  later,  and  as  further  outrages 
were  apprehended  the  Emperor  and  the  Crown-prince 
tried  to  dissuade  the  Empress  from  going.  The  Crown- 
prince  related  at  the  time  that  the  Empress  would  not 
listen  to  this  suggestion,  saying  : 

"If  you  fear  an  outrage,  that  is  a  good  reason  why 
I  should  accompany  you,  for  in  such  an  event  my  place 
is  by  your  side."  Her  Majesty,  accordingly,  went  with 
her  husband  and  son  to  Trieste,  where,  as  was  proved 
later  by  Oberdank's  revelations,  an  Italian  miscreant 
was  actually  watching  for  an  opportunity  to  murder  the 
imperial  couple.  That  man  was  afterwards  hanged  at 
Udine,  and  Oberdank  and  his  companions  at  Trieste. 

Elizabeth's  love  for  incognito  voyages  brought  about 
a  great  many  queer  incidents,  some  of  them  dangerous, 
others  extremely  amusing.  For  instance,  she  had  quite 
a  little  adventure  while  at  Seville.  One  day  during  her 
stay  there  she  started  out  unattended,  save  by  a  lady- 
in-waiting,  to  call  on  the  widowed  Duchess  of  Mont- 
pensier,  who  was  confined  to  her  bed  by  rheumatic  fever. 
On  reaching  the  palace  of  Castilleja  the  porter  absolutely 
refused  to  admit  the  two  ladies,  and,  on  their  persisting 
in  their  attempt  to  enter,  called  upon  the  police  in  the 
street  to  remove  the  trespassers,  informing  the  guardians 
of  the  peace  that  he  was  convinced  that  the  women  were 
filled  with  the  most  sinister  intentions. 

Fortunately,  one  of  the  old  servants  of  the  Duchess 
was  attracted  to  the  scene  by  the  noise,  and,  being  a 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Frenchman,  was  able  to  understand  the  purpose  of  their 
visit  and  their  identity,  which  the  porter  and  the  police, 
by  reason  of  their  ignorance  of  any  language  but  their 
own — which,  strange  to  relate,  the  Empress  did  not 
speak — had  been  unable  to  do.  This,  of  course,  put  an 
entirely  different  aspect  on  the  affair,  the  porter  and  the 
police  withdrawing  with  most  profound  apologies,  cursing, 
no  doubt,  their  stupidity,  while  the  old  French  groom- 
of-the-chambers  conducted  the  Empress  to  the  Duchess, 
with  whom  her  Majesty  spent  over  half  an  hour  in 
friendly  conversation. 

Owing  to  the  Empress's  reluctance  to  appear  in 
public,  especially  during  the  latter  portion  of  her  life, 
her  features  were  not  generally  known  to  the  Austrian 
public.  Indeed,  she  was  the  least  easily  recognized  of 
any  member  of  the  imperial  family.  This  led  to  many 
absurd  contre-tcmps,  all  the  more  so  as  she  was  fond  of 
going  about  on  foot,  unattended  save  by  her  Greek 
professor  and  a  servant  not  in  livery. 

One  day,  when  taking  the  train  at  Moedling,  whither 
she  had  gone  on  foot,  she  sent  her  servant  to  order  the 
station-master  to  have  the  train  stopped  at  the  Hotsen- 
dorf  station,  near  her  palace  at  Lainz.  Seeing  that 
the  train  was  about  to  start  while  the  man  was  still 
talking  to  the  station-master,  she  called  to  the  conductor : 
"  Tell  that  man  in  a  black  coat  to  hurry  up ! "  Where- 
upon the  officer  merely  turned  around  and  bawled  out : 
"Here,  hurry  up  you,  or  else  your  good  woman  will 
start  without  you!"  evidently  taking  the  Empress  for 
the  simply  horrified  servant's  wife.  This  is  but  one 
of  many  similar  adventures  which  happened  to  the 
Empress. 

Dr.   Kromar  preceded  the   Empress    to    Geneva    in 
order   to  have   all   proper    preparations    made   for    her 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

reception  at  the  Hotel  Beaurivage,  but  in  accordance 
with  her  wishes  he  concealed  the  identity  of  the  august 
visitor  who  was  to  be  expected.  As,  however,  her  Majesty- 
had  occupied,  some  few  months  previously,  the  very  self- 
same suite  of  rooms  which  he  now  bespoke  for  her,  the 
proprietor  of  the  hotel  was,  in  spite  of  all  this  secrecy, 
well  aware  whom  he  would  have  the  honour  of  harbouring 
under  his  roof.  The  apartment  selected  was  composed 
of  five  rooms,  one  of  which  was  a  salon ;  another,  the 
Empress's  sleeping-room,  opened  into  a  parlour,  which 
was  hastily  transformed  into  a  bath-room,  for  Elizabeth 
was  a  great  believer  in  hydrotherapy ;  and  the  two 
remaining  ones  were  to  be  occupied  by  Countess  Sztaray. 
The  valet  and  maids  to  be  were  quartered  on  the  floor 
above.  As  soon  as  the  necessary  arrangements  had  been 
made,  Dr.  Kromar  left  for  Territet,  whither  he  had 
received  permission  to  go  and  receive  some  personal 
friends  of  his  who  were  to  arrive  from  Austria  upon 
that  very  day. 

The  incognito  which  the  Empress  was  so  anxious  to 
preserve  was  by  no  means  kept,  for  the  hotelier,  very 
proud  of  seeing  his  hotel  selected  by  the  sovereign,  said 
to  somebody  who  was  remarking  to  him  that  it  was 
rather  a  pity  to  nail  down  oilcloth  upon  the  brand-new 
carpet  of  the  parlour,  which  was  being  quickly  trans- 
formed into  a  spacious  and  commodious  bath-room : 

"Oh,  I  don't  mind  it  at  all;  it's  no  matter  about 
the  carpet,  for,  let  me  tell  you,  quite  between  ourselves, 
these  rooms  are  for  the  Empress  of  Austria,  and  I  will 
be  well  indemnified,  I  assure  you." 

Moreover,  preparations  were  made  of  such  a  nature 
as  to  attract  the  attention  of  almost  all  the  people  then 
staying  at  the  Beaurivage. 

Elizabeth  arrived  at  six  o'clock  on  the  Friday,  and 

255 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

was  much  pleased  with  the  arrangement  of  her  apartment. 
Masses  of  asters,  mauve  and  white  in  colour,  had  been 
grouped  everywhere,  as  they  were  pretty  nearly  the 
only  flowers  that,  owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  season, 
could  be  furnished  by  the  florist  upon  such  short 
notice. 

"  Die  sind  seJir  hilbsch,"  said  the  Empress,  looking  at 
them  with  the  peculiar  softening  of  her  entire  counte- 
nance which  manifested  itself  when  admiring  blossoms 
of  any  kind,  "  aber  es  sind  ya  todtenblumen."  (They  are 
very  pretty,  but  they  are  death-flowers.) 

In  Austria  asters  are  principally  used  for  the  decora- 
tion of  the  cemeteries  on  All  Souls'  Day,  an  occasion 
always  observed  with  scrupulous  care  by  all  the  subjects 
of  Franz-Joseph,  and  that  is  the  explanation  of  the 
Empress's  allusion  to  the  flowers  found  in  her  room  on 
that,  the  eve  of  her  death. 

Before  leaving  Geneva,  after  the  awful  catastrophe, 
Countess  Sztaray  divided  those  asters  among  all  the 
members  of  the  Empress's  suite  in  remembrance  of  her. 

The  Empress  was  on  that  evening  in  a  remarkably 
merry  mood.  She  had  been  delighted  with  her  visit  to 
Pregny,  where  she  declared  that  she  had  tasted  the  best 
fruit  to  be  obtained  in  the  length  and  breadth  of  Europe, 
and  had  left  the  beautiful  villa  carrying  with  her  own 
hands  an  enormous  bunch  of  the  choicest  kind  of  orchids, 
which  Baroness  Rothschild  had  gathered  for  her,  and 
which,  during  her  trip  from  Pregny  to  Geneva,  she 
continued  to  admire  and  praise,  caressing  with  the  tips 
of  her  slender,  ungloved  fingers  the  strange,  velvety, 
many-hued  petals  which  bore  the  shape  of  some  strangely 
formed  butterflies.  Her  first  care  when  she  arrived 
at  the  hotel  in  Geneva  was  to  put  her  dear  orchids 
into   a  large   bowlful  of  cold  water,  attending   to   this 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

even  before  she  thought  of  removing  her  travelling-cloak 
and  hat. 

Both  she  and  her  lady-in-waiting  were  covered  with 
dust,  and  the  latter  proposed  to  the  Empress  that  she 
should  step  out  on  the  balcony  in  order  to  have  some  of 
it  brushed  off  before  changing  her  dress.  The  Empress, 
however,  refused  to  do  so,  for  fear  that  it  should  soil 
her  hair,  and  preferred  to  remove  her  clothes  at  once 
and  change  them  for  others. 

She  was  very  proud  of  her  hair ;  in  fact,  the  only  trait 
of  vanity  which  I  ever  noticed  in  her  was  the  pride  she 
took  in  those  magnificent  chestnut  tresses  which  fell 
down  to  her  ankles.  She  used  to  have  them  brushed 
for  hours  every  day  when  I  was  at  Vienna,  I  remember 
well,  while  her  reader,  Mademoiselle  Ferenzy,  read  to 
her  from  English,  French,  or  Hungarian  books.  Her 
Majesty  was  particularly  anxious  that  the  dresser  who 
brushed  her  long  braids  should  avoid  pulling  out  a 
single  hair.  This,  of  course,  was  an  impossibility,  and 
the  unfortunate  maid  concealed  carefully  in  the  pocket 
of  her  apron  any  hair  which  became  entangled  in  the 
brush.  One  day  the  Empress,  happening  to  glance 
into  the  looking-glass  before  which  she  sat,  caught 
sight  of  the  maid  concealing  a  small  roll  of  hair  in 
the  above-described  fashion.  Jumping  up  from  her 
rocking-chair,  her  Majesty  grasped  her  attendant's  hand, 
exclaiming : 

"I  have  caught  you  at  last!  You  are  ruining  my 
hair!" 

With  a  presence  of  mind  which  would  have  done 
honour  to  an  expert  diplomat,  the  maid  replied, 
unhesitatingly : 

"I  implore  your  Majesty  to  forgive  me;  it  never 
happened  before.     I  only  wished  to   have  some  of  my 

257  S 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

sovereign's  hair  to  put  in  the  locket  which  my  little 
girl  wears  around  her  neck  as  a  talisman." 

Whether  the  Empress  believed  this  clever  invention 
or  not,  I  do  not  know,  but  shrugging  her  shapely 
shoulders  she  resumed  her  seat,  laughing  heartilv,  and 
the  next  day  she  presented  her  maid  with  a  locket 
enriched  with  diamonds,  saying,  with  a  mischievous- 
twinkle  in  her  eyes : 

"I  think  this  is  the  kind  of  talisman  your  little 
daughter  deserves  for  having  such  a  clever  mother!" 

After  having  changed  her  dress  on  the  day  of  her 
fateful  arrival  in  Geneva,  the  Empress  drank  a  glass 
of  milk,  and  prepared  to  go  for  a  little  stroll  on  the 
quay  which  borders  the  lake.  Upon  returning  to  the 
hotel  she  wrote  a  few  letters  and  went  to  bed.  On  the 
next  morning — that  of  her  death — she  woke  up  in  a 
charming  mood,  and  after  taking  her  bath  and  getting 
dressed,  she  went  out  with  Countess  Sztaray  to  do  a 
little  shopping,  stopping  several  times  during  her  walk 
to  look  into  the  windows  of  the  florists',  jewellers',  and 
souvenir-de-la-Suisse  shops  which  abound  in  Geneva. 

Soon  after  her  return  to  the  hotel  she  dismissed  her 
women,  who  departed  by  railroad  for  Territet,  and  who,, 
as  they  passed  along  the  street  on  their  way  to  the 
station,  failed  to  observe  a  young  man  who  was  sitting 
upon  a  bench  right  in  front  of  the  Beaurivage,  intently 
watching  all  that  was  going  on  there. 

That  there  was  such  a  young  man  has  been  later  on. 
asserted  by  many  people  who  used  their  eyes  to  better 
purpose  than  did  the  Empress's  small  suite. 

This  man  was  Luccheni,  the  assassin,  and  he  seemed 
to  be  taking  note  of  every  bit  of  luggage  which  was 
being  made  ready  in  front  of  the  hotel  for  transportation 
to  the  steamer  Geneva.     He,  of  course,  saw  the  Empress's- 

258 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

servants  leave,  and  a  little  later  noticed  the  valet  de 
chambre,  who  was  to  accompany  his  imperial  mistress 
on  her  trip  across  the  lake,  make  his  way  towards  the 
wharf,  carrying  on  his  arm  the  Empress's  long  black 
cloak  and  in  his  hand  her  travelling-case.  He  was 
dressed  in  plain  clothes,  and  soon  disappeared  from 
view  on  the  gang-plank  that  united  the  waiting  ship 
to  the  quay.  Shortly  afterwards  two  ladies,  both  robed 
in  black,  left  the  Hotel  Beaurivage,  walking  rapidly 
towards  the  steamer,  for  the  clanging  of  a  bell  was 
announcing  that  it  was  on  the  point  of  starting. 
Countess  Sztaray  walked  a  little  ahead  of  the  Empress, 
signalling  with  her  hand  to  the  men  who  were  in  the 
act  of  withdrawing  the  gang-plank  to  stop  doing  so. 

At  this  moment  Luccheni  bounded  across  the  street, 
and  roughly  brushing  past  the  Countess,  threw  himself 
upon  the  Empress. 

Not  a  cry  escaped  her  as  she  fell  on  her  knees  to  the 
ground,  and  almost  instantly  she  was  on  her  feet  again, 
while  Countess  Sztaray  screamed  at  the  top  of  her  voice, 
to  prevent  the  murderer  from  being  allowed  to  escape 
into  the  Rue  des  Alpes ;  at  the  time,  however,  she 
believed  that  he  was  merely  a  thief  who  had  attempted 
to  steal  the  Empress's  watch. 

She  threw  her  arm  around  the  Empress's  waist  to 
support  her,  but  Elizabeth,  although  ghastly  pale, 
refused  her  help,  and  upon  being  asked  whether  she  was 
hurt  replied,  with  almost  her  habitual  calmness  : 

"  No,  I  do  not  think  so — not  much  at  least ; "  and 
turning  to  a  passer-by  who  was  attempting  to  brush  off 
some  of  the  dust  with  which  her  fall  had  covered  her, 
she  said,  smiling  sweetly  :  "  It  is  not  worth  while,  thanks 
very  much  "  (Ce  n'est  pas  la  peine,  merci  hieti). 

With  a  firm  step  she  walked  towards  the  steamer, 

259 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

crossed  the  gang-plank,  and  then  fell  fainting  to  the 
deck.  She  was  immediately  carried  to  the  upper  deck 
of  the  Geneva,  although  all  those  who  surrounded  her 
continued  stupidly  to  imagine  that  she  had  been  merely 
startled  and  was  not  seriously  hurt,  and  there  she  was 
laid  upon  some  red  velvet  cushions  hastily  brought  from 
the  captain's  room.  In  spite  of  the  immediate  use  of 
smelling-salts,  cold  water,  and  vinegar,  the  Empress 
did  not  recover  consciousness,  and  so  terribly  white  and 
drawn  did  her  beautiful  features  become  that  Countess 
Sztaray,  who  stood  by  ringing  her  hands  helplessly, 
finally  made  up  her  mind  to  unfasten  the  imperial 
lady's  corsage.  Upon  doing  so  she  gave  a  terrible  scream, 
for  she  found  that  it  had  been  pierced  by  some  sharp 
instrument  above  the  left  breast,  and  that  a  few  drops 
of  blood  were  slowly  oozing  from  a  very  small  triangular 
wound  which  showed  like  a  deep  purple  mark  upon  the 
tender  white  flesh. 

Meanwhile  the  steamer  had  put  out  from  the  shore, 
and  was  rapidly  gliding  over  the  unruffled  blue  waters 
of  the  lake.  There  was  no  doctor  on  board,  and  the 
lady-in-waiting,  almost  beside  herself  with  the  sense  of 
her  crushing  responsibility,  demanded  that  the  boat 
should  immediately  return  to  Geneva. 

She  was  obeyed,  and  a  stretcher  was  hurriedly  put 
together  with  the  help  of  rugs  and  cushions  upon  some 
oars.  Those  who  were  bending  over  her  Majesty  at  that 
moment  noticed  that  a  faint  tremor  passed  over  her  face, 
her  wonderful  dark-blue  eyes  opened  for  the  last  time, 
and  she  stretched  her  hands  out  with  an  infinite  longing 
towards  the  azure  skies  above.  One  fleeting  glance 
upward,  then,  her  hands  still  stretched  out  as  if  in 
prayer,  she  murmured  " Merci"  and  with  the  dauntless 
heroism    of    her    soft,    sad    smile    lingering    about    her 

260 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

lips,  she  gave  a  tired  little  sigh  like  that  of  a  child 
sinking  to  sleep,  and  lay  motionless  on  her  crimson 
pillows. 

As  soon  as  the  steamer  touched  the  pier,  Captain 
Eoux,  of  the  Geneva,  and  his  officers  carried  the  stretcher 
to  which  the  Empress  had  been  transferred  out  of  the 
vessel  and  up  to  her  room  at  the  Beaurivage,  that 
room  which  she  had  left,  but  a  short  time  before,  full  of 
life  and  energy. 

She  was  tenderly  laid  upon  the  bed,  and  a  priest 
who  had  been  sent  for,  and  who  had  arrived  on  the  spot 
even  before  the  sorrowful  little  procession,  administered 
to  her  the  last  sacraments.  The  physicians  summoned 
to  her  bedside  did  all  that  lay  within  their  power  to 
revive  the  Empress ;  artificial  respiration,  friction,  and 
even  bleeding  were  all  vainly  attempted,  and,  at  three 
o'clock,  with  another  weary  little  sigh,  Elizabeth's  pure 
and  noble  soul  took  flight. 

The  despair  of  her  entourage  cannot  be  described.  Sob* 
and  moans  were  heard  on  all  sides,  and  the  Empress's 
old  valet  tie  chambre  was  taken  so  violently  ill  that 
his  condition  required  immediate  medical  attention. 
Countess  Sztaray  telegraphed  at  once  to  the  Emperor, 
and  to  Count  Paar,  chief  aide-in-camp  of  his  Majesty, 
and  then  took  steps  to  have  the  Empress's  salon  trans- 
formed into  a  mortuary  chapel. 

This  room,  so  filled  with  sunshine,  which  shone  through 
the  broad  balconies  overlooking  the  lake  shore,  was 
draped  completely — floor,  ceiling,  walls,  and  doors,  as 
well  as  windows— with  black  velvet  hangings,  flecked 
with  silver.  The  coffin,  lined  with  white  satin  and  white 
velvet,  was  placed  beneath  the  middle  window,  and  with 
her  head  reposing  on  a  lace  pillow  the  dead  Empress  lay 
therein,  clad  in  a  long  white  satin  robe,  her  hands  crossed 

2G1 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

over  a  rosary  and  an  ivory  crucifix,  and  surrounded  by  a 
glorious  garland  of  snowy,  golden-hearted  roses.  A  large 
veil  of  lace  half-covered  her  and  fell  to  the  floor,  where, 
at  the  foot  of  the  coffin,  a  cushion  made  of  white  roses 
bore  the  inscription,  "Repose  en  Paix."  Myriads  of 
blessed  candles  shed  a  soft  radiance  over  the  countless 
wreaths  and  bouquets  which  were  sent  from  every 
quarter,  and  nuns  and  priests  knelt  continually  on  prie- 
dieus,  reciting  the  prayers  for  the  dead. 

Nothing  can  describe  the  loveliness  of  the  expression 
overspreading  the  marmorean  features  of  the  dead 
Empress ;  such  absolute,  contented  peace  and  restfulness 
belong  only  to  angels.  Although  during  the  moments 
which  had  preceded  her  death  there  had  been  a  sort  of 
convulsed,  suffering  look  upon  her  face,  yet  immediately 
afterwards  the  brow  became  smooth,  the  lips  parted  in 
a  heavenly  smile,  disclosing  the  pearly  teeth,  and  the 
only  shadow  noticeable  on  her  countenance  was  that 
which  was  thrown  by  the  deep  fringe  of  her  dark  lashes 
upon  her  velvety  cheeks. 

There  is  but  little  more  to  say,  for  this  work  should 
treat  only  of  Elizabeth's  earthly  career,  not  of  the 
magnificent  pageant  by  which  her  people  attempted  to 
make  up  in  funeral  display  for  their  previous  lack  of 
appreciation  and  of  loyalty  towards  their  Empress.  I  will 
therefore  give  but  a  short  desertion  of  it. 

The  mourning-train,  with  its  sorrowful  company  of 
sable-clad  officials,  passing  slowly  through  Switzerland 
and  Austria  amid  the  tolling  of  muffled  bells ;  the  arrival 
at  Vienna — sorrowful  and  gloomy  Vienna — so  unlike  the 
gay,  brilliant  city  we  all  know  so  well;  the  superb  pro- 
cession following  the  coffin  to  and  from  the  Burg;  all 
this  has  been  described  by  the  press  of  many  countries. 
The  numberless  poor,  who  came  from  far  and  wide  to 

262 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

catch  a  glimpse  of  the  casket  containing  the  remains 
of  Elizabeth  of  Austria,  constituted  the  most  touch- 
ing element  of  the  long  journey  and  of  the  funeral 
ceremony. 

The  pilgrimage  of  mourners  from  the  suburbs  to  the 
vicinity  of  the  Hofburg  commenced  at  three  o'clock  in 
the  morning  on  the  day  of  the  funeral.  By  four  o'clock 
there  was  already  a  dense  crowd  in  the  Albrecht  Platz, 
opposite  the  Jockey  Club,  and  at  five,  when  the  troops 
began  to  line  the  streets,  those  who  desired  to  see  the 
body  lying  in  state  found  that  it  was  almost  too  late, 
as  immense  crowds  had  already  congregated  to  wait  for 
the  funeral  in  the  afternoon.  The  Albrecht  Platz  offered 
an  excellent  coign  of  vantage,  and  particularly  the 
Albrecht  Rampe,  an  elevated  roadway  leading  to  the 
late  Archduke  Albrecht's  palace,  and  peojde  took  up 
their  post  there  at  a  very  early  hour.  The  difficulty  of 
keeping  order  in  the  vast  crowd  was  indeed  enormous, 
owing  to  the  restricted  area  intersected  by  narrow  streets 
into  which  had  congregated  a  town  population  of  one 
and  a  half  millions,  with  another  half  million  of  country 
people  and  strangers.  There  were  two  streams  of  visitors. 
One  consisted  mostly  of  women  who  wished  to  see  their 
Empress  as  she  lay  in  state  between  eight  and  twelve 
o'clock ;  the  other  was  waiting  for  the  carriages,  the 
foreign  sovereigns,  the  deputations,  clergy,  and  military, 
and,  finally,  for  the  funeral  itself.  These  two  streams 
in  the  end  united  to  form  a  compact  mass  of  human 
beings,  unable  to  move  backward  or  forward,  and  filling 
not  only  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  Hofburg. 
but  also  the  Graben,  the  Kiirntner-Strasse,  and  the 
Herrengasse. 

When  the  hour  of  the  funeral  arrived,  some  of  the 
people  managed  to  climb  the  steeples  of  the  churches  of 

263 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

St.  Michael  and  St.  Augustin ;  and  the  two  rooms  of  the 
fire-watch  on  the  tower  of  St.  Stephen's,  to  which  there 
are  three  hundred  and  forty-three  steps,  were  filled  with 
spectators  unable  to  pay  for  access  to  windows  or  balconies 
on  the  route  to  the  Neuer-Markt,  in  which  the  Capuchin 
church  is  situated. 

The  atmosphere  of  gloom  which  spread  over  the 
capital  bore  sure  witness  to  the  genuineness  of  the 
sorrow  which  the  people  felt — sorrow  tempered  with 
profoundest  sympathy  for  the  old  Emperor  her  death 
had  left  so  lonely.  In  this  his  year  of  jubilee,  Franz- 
Joseph  stood  among  the  rulers  of  Europe  a  heart-broken 
and  solitary  figure — pathetic  to  the  last  degree,  bereaved 
by  violence  of  his  only  son,  and  now  by  violence  also  of 
his  consort,  and  with  a  weight  of  sorrow  gnawing  at  his 
soul  of  which  but  few  can  measure  the  enormity,  or 
know  the  many  hidden  springs. 

There  was  from  the  moment  when  the  Empress's 
remains  were  brought  to  Vienna  a  universal  desire  to 
occupy  one's  self  exclusively  with  her  tragic  fate,  and 
this  was  best  observed  in  the  streets,  where  everything 
spoke  of  her.  The  pavements  and  roadways  were  thronged 
with  a  dense  crowd,  in  which  women  dressed  in  black 
were  a  prominent  feature.  Maids,  for  instance,  wore 
black  frocks  and  snow-white  aprons,  a  mourning  costume 
characteristic  of  Viennese  women,  and  walked  to  the 
chapel  in  this  dress.  Along  the  street  that  leads  from 
Schonbrunn  to  the  gates  of  the  Burg-Palace  no  walking 
was  possible,  and  the  people  stood  in  rows  so  dense  that 
they  formed  a  kind  of  additional  black  pall  covering 
the  broad  thoroughfare. 

The  scene  within  the  Church  of  the  Capuchins  was 
extraordinarily  imposing,  and  at  the  same  time  touching 
beyond  description.     The  cardinals,  bishops,  and  other 

264 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

clergy  stood  on  the  right  side  of  the  altar;  on  the  left 

was  the  heavily  curtained  door  by  which  the  court  had 

entered.     The  Capuchin  church,  though  it  was  decorated 

with  black  draperies  throughout,  including  vestry  and 

corridors,   though   every   wall   was    covered   with   black 

velvet    and    every    doorway    hung    with    heavy    black 

curtains,  still  retained  the  character  of  poverty  suited 

to  the  order  whose  convent  adjoins  it.     The  high  altar 

was    marked    only    by   a   large   cross  in  cloth  of  gold. 

Gold  candelabra,  with  wax  candles,  and  countless  other 

blessed  candles  in  sconces,  lighted  the  church,  but  they 

burned  dimly  in  the  oppressive  heat.     The  ground  was 

entirely  covered  with  black  cloth,  the  steps  to  the  altar 

and  the  platform  reserved  for  the  court  being  marked 

by    white    strips    of   ribbon.      On   the   walls   hung   the 

Empress's  escutcheons.     They  had  to  be  changed  in  the 

night  preceding  the  funeral,  for  they  merely  bore  the 

inscription,  " Mizabetha  Imycratrix  Austrian"  and  when 

the   Hungarian  deputations    came    they    remarked   this 

immediately,   and  protested  the  moment  they   left  the 

chapel.     The  court  officials  immediately  took  down  those 

hatchments,  replacing  them  by  others  on  which  "  Rcgina 

Hungaricc  "  stood  written  in  letters  as  big  as  "  Imperatrix 

Austria" 

At  the  foot  of  the  coffin  were  placed,  on  cushions,  the 
orders  and  decorations  of  the  dead.  Empress,  and  also 
the  large  black  fan  which  she  invariably  carried,  together 
with  a  pair  of  long  white  suede  gloves.  Her  crowns  as 
Empress  of  Austria,  Queen  of  Hungary,  and  Princess  in 
Bavaria  sparkled  at  the  head  of  the  coffin. 

The  display  of  flowers  was  so  great  and  so  magnifi- 
cent that  even  she,  who  never  had  enough  of  them  about 
her,  would  have  been  satisfied,  I  think. 

Queen  Victoria's  wreath  was  composed  of  pale  pink 

265 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

chrysanthemums,  tuberoses,  violets,  lilies,  and  palm- 
leaves,  and  the  wreath  from  the  Princess  of  Wales  was 
formed  of  Marechal-Niel  roses,  violets,  and  silver  palms. 
The  former  bore  the  following  inscription  in  German, 
received  from  her  Majesty  in  a  cipher  telegram : 

"  Ein  Ztichen  der  innigsten  Freundschaft  und  Verehrung  von  Hirer 
geireuen  Schwester. — Victoria  R.  I." 

(A  token  of  the  deepest  friendship  and  veneration  from  her  faithful 
sister. — Victoria  R.  I.) 

The  latter  wreath  was  inscribed,  "From  the  Prince 
and  Princess  of  Wales,"  and  bore  on  a  white  satin  ribbon 
the  following  words : 


*o 


"  Sister,  thou  art  gone  hefore  ns, 
And  thy  saintly  soul  is  flown 
"Where  tears  are  wiped  from  every  eye, 
And  sorrow  is  unknown." 

The  inane  reports  to  the  effect  that  the  Empress  and 
Queen  Victoria  had  been  on  bad  terms  were  utterly 
untrue.  Very  much  to  the  contrary,  the  aged  ruler  of 
Great  Britain  admired  and  loved  Elizabeth  greatly. 

The  Empress  wrote  in  the  most  touching  terms  to 
Queen  Victoria  after  the  death  of  the  Prince-consort, 
and  that  message  was  the  beginning  of  a  most  interest- 
ing correspondence,  which  never  ceased  to  be  frequent 
and  affectionate  in  the  extreme.  The  deceased  Empress 
also  wrote  in  an  equally  feeling  manner  to  the  Empress 
Eugenie  when  Napoleon  III.  died,  and  more  recently 
to  the  Empress  Frederick  when  she  lost  her  husband. 
Indeed,  she  allowed  no  occasion  to  pass  without  display- 
ing her  kindness  towards  those  in  affliction,  whatever 
their  rank,  and  all  those  to  whom  she  had  thus  shown 
sympathy  in  their  trouble  remembered  it  when  death 
claimed  her  too. 

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THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

High  and  low  brought  or  sent  their  floral  offerings ; 
kings  and  queens,  emperors  and  empresses,  princes, 
dukes,  counts,  bourgeois,  beggars  even,  managed  to 
convey  a  vast  and  splendid  or  a  small  and  humble 
fragrant  token  of  their  reverence  to  be  placed  about 
the  coffin. 

Dr.  Christomanos,  the  Empress's  Greek  instructor, 
laid  with  his  own  hands  a  cluster  of  tuberoses  on  the 
steps  of  the  dais  upholding  the  catafalque,  beside  the 
garland  of  snowy  blossoms,  four  yards  wide,  sent  by 
the  Emperor  of  Russia,  and  touching  on  the  other  side 
a  sheaf  of  forest  flowers  and  branches,  brought  by  a 
sobbing  Tyrolese  peasant  early  that  morning.  Those 
who  read  the  Empress  aright  know  how  much  more 
highly  she  would  have  prized  the  humble  offering  of 
the  peasant  than  the  costly  wreath  of  the  great  and 
powerful  sovereign. 

The  perfume  from  all  these  glorious  blooms  was 
almost  more  than  one  could  bear,  however,  and  floated 
heavily  on  the  atmosphere,  mingled  with  the  spicy 
odour  of  the  incense  and  that  of  the  burning  waxen 
tapers. 

Sobs  echoed  ceaselessly  under  the  vaults  of  the  sacred 
edifice,  and  came  not  only  from  the  seats  reserved  for 
the  royal  ladies  present,  but  from  the  entire  assistance, 
while  the  poor  Emperor  wiped  the  tears  which  con- 
tinually rolled  down  his  pale  cheeks. 

The  Prince-Cardinal  also,  when  giving  the  last  bene- 
diction, finished  in  a  voice  broken  by  sobs,  and  there 
was  not  a  dry  eye  when  the  coffin  was  lifted  by  its 
bearers  and  borne  to  the  entrance  of  the  narrow  stone 
staircase  leading  down  to  the  crypt.  All  the  emperors, 
kings,  and  princes,  all  the  archdukes  and  archduchesses, 
bowed  low  as  it  passed.     It  was  their  last  salute  to  the 

267 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

dead  Empress,  and  they  all  remained  standing  or  kneel- 
ing in  prayer  till  the  Emperor,  his  two  sons-in-law,  and 
the  two  brothers  of  the  late  Empress  had  returned  from 
the  vault,  which  was  after  a  space  of  about  fifteen 
minutes.  Capuchin  friars,  with  lighted  tapers,  stood 
at  the  top  of  the  staircase  and  went  down  with  the 
coffin  to  its  foot,  preceded  by  Prince-Cardinal  Gruscha 
and  the  assistant  clergy,  and  followed  by  the  Lord 
Chamberlain,  the  Emperor,  and  the  princes  already 
mentioned.  The  coffin  was  placed  upon  a  bier  draped 
with  cloth  of  gold.  A  prie-dieu  near  by  was  reserved 
for  the  Emperor,  and  his  Majesty  knelt  down,  covering 
his  face  with  his  hands,  and  leaning  his  head  on  the 
edge  of  the  prayer-stool. 

In  that  posture  he  remained  during  the  short  cere- 
mony of  once  more  blessing  the  remains.  But  that 
office  was  not  yet  finished  when  the  monarch's  entire 
body  began  to  tremble  and  deep  sobs  shook  him,  so 
that  everybody  present,  including  the  clergy  and  even 
the  monks  who  had  seen  so  many  funerals  there,  were 
unable  to  refrain  from  tears.  The  unfortunate  Emperor 
rose,  knelt  again  before  the  coffin,  and  let  his  head  fall 
upon  the  lid,  where  it  remained  for  several  seconds. 
Kissing  repeatedly  the  wooden  shell  which  contained 
all  that  was  left  of  his  consort,  he  at  last  rose,  forced 
himself  into  an  erect  position,  and  without  turning, 
mounted  the  staircase.  The  Emperor  was  followed  by 
the  princes,  and  as  he  reappeared  in  the  church  his 
eyes  were  still  filled  with  tears. 

The  ceremony  of  identifying  the  body  and  the 
handing  over  of  the  keys  to  the  custody  of  the  monks 
were  performed  in  his  absence.  After  the  Emperor  had 
left  the  crypt,  the  monks  opened  a  small  slab  of  wood 
at  the  head  of  the  coffin,  revealing  under  plate  glass 

268 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AX  EMPRESS 

the  face  of  the  Empress,  and  the  Father  Guardian  of 
the  erypt  was  formally  interrogated  by  the  Lord  Cham- 
berlain as  to  whether  he  could  identify  the  features  as 
being  those  of  the  late  Empress  Elizabeth.  On  a  reply 
being  given  in  the  affirmative,  the  coffin  was  again 
closed  and  committed  to  the  care  of  the  monks,  who 
received  one  of  the  keys,  the  second  one  being  handed 
to  the  Lord  Chamberlain. 

A  copy  of  the  medical  reports  made  by  the  doctors 
who  performed  the  autopsy  is  also  in  the  hands  of  the 
Lord  Chamberlain.     The  document  runs  as  follows : 

"  The  weapon  employed  by  the  assassin  was  of  steel, 
pointed,  three-cornered,  and  exceedingly  sharp.  It 
entered  the  body  through  the  fourth  rib,  which  was 
broken  by  the  blow.  After  following  the  rib  for  a  short 
distance  it  passed  inward  through  the  interior  border 
of  the  lung,  entered  the  pericardium,  and  penetrated 
the  left  ventricle  of  the  heart.  Passing  from  above 
downward,  it  traversed  the  left  ventricle  and  passed 
out  through  the  heart  wall.  The  wound  was  two  and  a 
half  millimetres  in  circumference  and  eight  and  a  half 
centimetres  in  length.  It  had  ragged  edges,  having 
been  inflicted  with  a  sharp  but  rough  weapon.  Death 
resulted  from  hemorrhage  into  the  pericardium. 

"The  reason  why  the  Empress  was  able  to  walk 
eighty  paces  after  the  heart  had  been  completely  punc- 
tured is  explained  by  the  fact  that  the  flow  of  blood 
into  the  pericardium  was  very  slow,  owing  to  the  small 
size  of  the  wound.  Had  the  weapon  not  been  withdrawn 
she  would  have  lived  longer,  for  it  was  by  the  gradual 
infiltration  of  blood  into  the  pericardium  that  life  was 
destroyed. 

"In  the  case  of  the  Duke  of  Berry,  who  received  a 

269 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

similar  wound,  the  weapon  was  left  in  place,  and  he 
lived  four  hours.  It  nevertheless  required  undaunted 
courage  and  extraordinary  energy  on  the  part  of  the 
Empress  to  have  accomplished  what  she  did." 

Strangely  enough,  for  a  long  time  previous  to  the 
assassination  of  Elizabeth,  forebodings  of  an  impending 
catastrophe  prevailed  in  the  imperial  family,  and  so 
strong  were  these  that  the  Emperor  was  heard  several 
times  to  exclaim :  "  Oh,  how  I  wish  this  jubilee  year 
were  over ! " 

On  April  24th — that  is,  just  a  little  over  five  months 
before  the  catastrophe — the  sentinel  posted  in  a  corridor 
<  >r  hall  leading  to  the  chapel  at  the  Hofburg  was  startled 
almost  out  of  his  senses  by  seeing  the  form  of  a  white- 
clad  woman  approaching  him  soon  after  one  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  He  at  once  challenged  her,  whereupon 
the  figure  turned  around  and  passed  back  into  the 
chapel,  where  the  soldier  observed  a  light  shining. 
Hastily  summoning  assistance,  a  strict  search  was  insti- 
tuted and  the  chapel  was  explored,  without,  however, 
any  result. 

The  sentinel  in  question  was  a  stolid,  rather  dull- 
minded  Styrian  peasant,  who  was  possessed  of  little 
power  of  imagination,  and  who  probably  was  entirely 
ignorant,  therefore,  of  the  traditions  according  to  which 
a  woman  arrayed  in  white  makes  her  appearance  by 
night  in  the  imperial  palace,  either  in  the  chapel  or 
in  the  adjoining  corridors  and  halls,  whenever  any 
misfortune  is  about  to  overtake  the  imperial  house  of 
Hapsburg. 

On  such  occasions  this  spectral  visit  to  the  sentinel 
on  duty  has  been  described  in  the  report  of  the  officer 
of  the  guard  on  the  following  morning,  and  is,  therefore, 

270 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

a  matter  of  official  record.  The  previous  visitations  of 
the  white  lady  had  taken  place  on  the  eve  of  the 
shocking  tragedy  of  Mayerling,  a  few  weeks  before  the 
shooting  of  Emperor  Maximilian  of  Mexico,  and  just 
before  the  burning  to  death  of  the  daughter  of  old 
Archduke  Albert,  at  Schonbrunn.  The  tradition  is  so 
deeply  rooted  that  the  same  supernatural  appearance  at 
the  time  when  Archduke  John  vanished  from  all  ken 
was  enough  to  convince  the  imperial  family  that  he  is 
no  longer  in  the  land  of  the  living,  as  so  many  believe, 
but  that  he  really  perished  at  sea,  while  on  his  way 
around  Cape  Horn  from  La  Plata  to  Valparaiso. 

The  guests  leaving  the  Burg  after  the  funeral  were 
much,  struck  by  the  peculiarly  impressive  appearance  of 
the  city.  All  the  street  lamps  which  had  been  lighted 
were  swathed  in  crape,  and  the  flame  shimmering 
through  this  veil  had  a  peculiarly  lugubrious  look. 
The  streets  were  filled  with  black  draperies  and  black 
flags,  and  even  from  the  roofs  depended  great  sable- 
hued  banners  which  shivered  sadly  in  the  breeze.  The 
accursed  name  of  the  assassin,  Luccheni,  was  on  every 
lip,  and  the  thought  of  his  awful  deed  in  every  heart. 

The  Hungarian  magnates,  in  their  gorgeous  mourning 
trappings,  the  Polish  nobles,  the  hussars  and  haiduks  in 
attendance,  the  princes  of  the  church,  the  peers  of  the 
realm,  as  well  as  the  small  tradesmen,  the  peasants, 
and  the  court  servants,  all  discussed  with  like  energy 
and  equal  wrath  the  possibilities  of  Luccheni's  extradi- 
tion, and  expressed  regret  and  lament  about  there  not 
having  been  a  single  hand  lifted  in  defence  of  the 
Empress  nor  a  single  breast  placed  as  a  shield  between 
her  and  the  weapon  of  her  assassin.  Indeed,  general 
indignation  was  great,  and  poor  old  Koloman  Tisza7 
the  aged  ex-Minister  of  Hungary,  who  was  walking  with 

271 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Moritz  Jokai,  the  poet-deputy  of  the  Magyars,  wrung 
his  hands  and  shed  tears  as  they  talked  about  this 
hideous  crime,  which  finds  no  parallel  in  the  history  of 
the  world.  The  name  of  Luccheni  was  heard  again  and 
again  like  a  knell,  from  one  end  to  the  other  of  the 
crowd  descending  the  steps  of  the  Capuchin  church. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

In  spite  of  all  that  has  been  said  to  the  contrary,  the 
murderer  of  the  Empress  of  Austria  knew  well  what  he 
was  about  when  he  committed  his  foul  and  villainous 
crime  within  the  frontiers  of  a  country  where  the  death 
penalty  has  been  abolished.  It  is  all  very  well  to  say 
that  anarchists  are  possessed  with  courage  of  a  quality 
quite  out  of  the  ordinary ;  this  is  by  no  means  the  case, 
and  although  among  the  ranks  of  Russian  Nihilists 
there  have  been  some  instances  of  lives  being  sacrificed 
lightly,  cheerfully,  and  with  a  singular,  if  ill-applied, 
sort  of  heroism  in  the  interest  of  the  cause,  both  by  men 
and  women,  yet  none  of  these  unbalanced  or  demented 
creatures  who  seek  to  attain  an  impossible  bourne  by 
blood-shedding  and  treachery  can  ever  be  called  heroes, 
or  even  courageous  people. 

In  most  cases  they  seek  notoriety,  and  whether  they 
belong  to  the  lower  classes  of  society  or  to  a  higher 
status,  were  they  certain  that  the  aureole  of  martyrdom 
would  eventually  be  denied  to  them,  and  that  their  trial 
by  jury  would  not  be  public,  nor  their  ultimate  punish- 
ment witnessed  and  discussed  by  the  people  at  large, 
there  would  of  a  certainty  be  a  large  decrease  in  the 
number  of  those  abominable  crimes  which  have  inspired 
all  decent  persons  with  horror  and  disgust. 

The  anarchist  movement  has  made  enormous  progress 
since  the  time,  when  just  thirty  years  ago  it  may  be 
said  to  have  been  founded  by  the  Eussian  ex-convict, 

273  T 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Baron  Bakounine,  at  Geneva,  for  it  is  only  since  that 
time  that  the  so-called  sect  of  anarchists  has  become 
known ;  still  the  spirit  of  defiance  against  superiority 
of  any  kind  wherein  anarchy  has  found  its  birth  existed 
long  previous  to  that  date. 

Revolution  was  not  invented  by  Bakounine.  He  did 
not  inspire  the  terrible  deeds  which  took  place  in 
France  during  the  Eeign  of  Terror,  nor  did  his  theories 
urge  on  the  Indian  thugs.  The  same  spirit  which  filled 
the  brandy-soaked  brains  of  the  assassins  of  Louis  XVI. 
and  of  Marie  Antoinette  is  the  breath  of  revolution  in 
its  ugliest  shape,  and  it  is  to  be  traced  from  one  end  of 
this  planet  to  the  other,  wherever  there  exist — and  that 
is  everywhere — conditions  begetting  moral,  social,  or 
financial  superiority  of  one  class  over  another. 

Luccheni  is,  like  a  large  number  of  such  criminals, 
an  Italian,  and  although  he  pretends  he  was  nothing 
but  a  poor  and  uneducated  creature,  it  has  been  proved 
that  he  on  the  contrary  has  more  than  a  smattering  of 
knowledge,  which  is  perhaps  the  most  dangerous  con- 
dition for  a  man  of  his  tendencies.  His  career  was 
checkered  by  many  changes,  for  he  was  at  different 
times  a  soldier,  a  labourer,  a  student,  and  also,  during 
some  months,  the  servant  of  the  Prince  and  Princess  of 
Arazona.  He  read  a  quantity  of  trash  about  anarchism 
and  nihilism  which  he  was  quite  unable  to  comprehend 
or  to  digest,  but  which  aroused  in  him  a  violent  hatred 
for  those  whom  he  considered  to  be  more  fortunate 
than  himself.  In  him  one  can  find  a  new  and  terrible 
example  of  the  erroneous  ideas  concerning  the  so-called 
philanthropic  efforts  which  tend  more  and  more  to 
educate  the  masses  after  a  fashion,  yet  altogether 
inadequately. 

The  denials  of  Luccheni  with  regard  to  his  having 

274 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

been  affiliated  with  one  or  more  secret  societies  are 
absolutely  futile,  for,  on  the  contrary,  it  was  because  he 
had  been  accused  of  being  too  lukewarm  in  his  principles, 
and  too  behindhand  in  the  services  which  he  could  have 
rendered  to  the  cause,  that  he  suddenly  made  up  his  mind 
to  disprove  these  accusations  and  to  alarm  the  world  by 
an  act  so  gruesome  that  it  would  remain  absolutely 
without  parallel  in  history. 

This  goes  far  to  prove  that  the  man  was  by  no  means 
an  illiterate  or  an  ignorant  person,  for  he  certainly 
selected  his  victim  with  a  care  which  betokened  his 
anxiety  to  make  his  crime  a  subject  of  world-wide 
comment.  It  is  true  that  he  alleged  that  at  first  his 
intention  was  to  kill  the  Duke  of  Orleans  and  not  the 
Empress ;  but  this  is  probably  false,  for,  long  before  he 
■committed  the  murder  he  had  cast  his  choice  upon  the 
Empress  of  Austria,  whom  he  had  seen  and  watched 
previously  at  Buda-Pesth — so  at  least  he  himself  declared 
when  hard  pressed  by  the  examining  magistrate.  The 
assassination  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  regrettable  as  it 
would  have  been,  would  have  by  no  means  created  so 
terrible  a  sensation  as  the  one  finally  perpetrated,  the 
Duke  not  being  a  sufficiently  important  personage  to 
be  missed  and  mourned  as  was  the  one  faultless  and 
absolutely  perfect  figure  of  Europe's  sovereignty. 

Moreover,  Luccheni  had  accomplices  who  preceded 
him  to  Switzerland.  Two  of  the  affiliated — namely, 
Pozzio  and  Barbotti,  as  well  as  Pozzio's  mistress,  a  girl 
of  the  name  of  Lina  Zahler — were  arrested  after  the 
•crime.  It  was  this  girl  who  purchased  in  Lausanne  a 
sharp,  murderous-looking  knife  for  the  sum  of  twelve 
francs,  which,  as  she  remarked  when  handing  it  to 
Luccheni,  "was  a  good  deal  of  money  to  pay  for  an 
instrument  which  would  serve  but  once ! "     So  regretful 


•Zi'o 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

did  the  girl  seem  to  be  about  this  sum  having  been 
spent  that  Pozzio  took  possession  of  the  knife,  and 
exclaimed  that  he  would  take  it  back  to  the  shop  and 
recover  the  twelve  francs,  while  Luccheni  contented 
himself  with  purchasing  a  long  and  slender  file,  which 
he  sharpened  like  a  stiletto  and  provided  with  a  com- 
modious wooden  handle. 

It  is  very  evident  that  Luccheni  attempted,  from 
the  very  moment  of  his  arrest,  to  pose  as  a  cynic  of  the 
most  pronounced  description.  His  declaration  to  the 
men  who  captured  him  as  he  was  trying  to  fly  in  the 
Eue  des  Alpes  after  the  perpetration  of  his  shameful 
deed  is  sufficient  proof  of  this,  for  he  called  out  at  the 
top  of  his  voice:  "I  hit  her  well,  bravo!  Long  live 
anarchy!  All  the  other  sovereigns  will  follow,  and  all 
the  wealthy  folks  as  well.  Long  live  the  Social  Revolu- 
tion ! "  Indeed,  he  assumed  a  joyful  and  smiling  attitude, 
which  would  have  rendered  excusable  the  most  atrocious 
form  of  lynching,  and  it  is  very  lucky  for  him,  as  he 
seems  to  care  so  much  for  his  life,  that  he  should  have 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  thick-headed,  slow-blooded  Swiss, 
instead  of  into  those  of  Americans,  French,  or  Austrians, 
who  have  not  so  much  mastery  over  their  indignation, 
and  who  would  have  made  an  end  of  him  there  and 
then. 

His  letter  addressed  to  the  Swiss  Federal  Council 
requesting  to  be  judged  in  Lucerne,  where  capital 
punishment  is  still  in  force,  is  but  another  incident 
of  the  comedy  of  cynicism  which  he  played  through- 
out. 

"I  am  a  soft-hearted,  glorious  anarchist,"  wrote 
Luccheni.  "  It  has  been  for  a  long  time  past  my  most 
cherished  ideal  to  strike  society  in  one  of  its  summits. 
I  have  now  attained  this  ideal,  and  I  am  the  happiest 

276 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

man  in  the  world.  I  am  no  coward,  and  do  not  fear 
death.  In  fact,  I  long  to  be  beheaded  and  to  add  my 
name  to  the  glorious  list  of  martyrs  who  have  fallen 
while  working  for  our  sacred  cause." 

He  is  not  a  coward,  so  he  says;  and  still  what  is  a 
man  to  be  called  who  murders  in  cold  blood  a  defence- 
less woman — a  woman  who  never  did  him  or  anybody 
else  an  injury?  And  what  can  it  be  save  braggadocio 
which  inspired  his  reply  to  the  examining  judge  when 
the  latter  asked  him : 

"Were  you  not  impressed  by  hearing  the  funeral 
knell  ring  for  your  victim?  Did  it  not  make  you  sad 
and  remorseful  to  know  that  you  had  plunged  so  many 
human  creatures  into  despair  ?  " 

"No,"  replied  Luccheni,  with  a  sneer.  "When  I 
heard  those  bells  I  considered  them  to  be  the  funeral 
knell  of  the  bourgeoisie,  whom  I  detest.  Until  the  world 
swims  in  blood  there  will  be  no  peace  and  no  comfort 
for  us  working-people,  who  outnumber  so  greatly  the 
useless,  wealthy,  and  privileged  beings  that  have  tyran- 
nized over  us  for  centuries." 

It  is  a  wonder,  still  remaining  unexplained,  that  the 
Austrian  authorities  should  not  have  taken  steps  to 
obtain  this  wretch's  extradition,  and  it  has  aroused  the 
indignation  of  almost  everybody  to  think  that  he  is 
being  treated  exactly  in  the  same  manner  as  an  ordinary 
criminal  condemned  for  life.  Surely  a  lesson  was  needed, 
and  an  example  should  have  been  made  of  Luccheni, 
but  there  are  and  will  remain  some  very  mysterious 
points  about  the  sad  circumstances  surrounding  the 
Empress's  assassination,  which  are  better  allowed  to 
pass  from  the  minds  of  those  who  were  truly  and  deeply 
fond  of  her,  lest  their  feelings  should  become  too  hope- 
lessly embittered. 

-'77 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

During  his  trial,  Luis  Luccheni  kept  up  his  defiant 
and  self-satisfied  attitude.  He  remained  cynical  and 
indifferent,  manifested  no  regret  for  his  act,  and  coolly 
stated  that  if  he  had  the  opportunity  again  he  would 
grasp  it  once  more.  Of  course  the  court-room  was 
crowded,  every  seat  being  occupied  immediately  after 
the  doors  were  opened. 

Luccheni  was  brought  to  the  scene  of  the  trial  at  an 
early  hour  from  the  prison  St.-Antoine,  which  is  in 
close  proximity  to  the  Palais  de  Justice,  only  a  garden 
intervening.  Although  closely  guarded  by  gendarmes  in 
full  uniform,  he  awaited  the  opening  of  the  proceedings 
in  a  small  room  adjoining  the  court  quite  peacefully, 
conversing  with  his  keepers  and  smoking  innumerable 
cigarettes  just  as  if  he  had  come  there  to  witness  a 
pleasant  spectacle  instead  of  being  the  central  figure  of 
an  appalling  tragedy. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  judges  took  their  seats  upon  the 
bench.  The  tribunal  was  composed  of  M.  Bourgy, 
President  of  the  Court  of  Justice,  and  of  MM.  Schutsle 
and  Eacine,  Judge  Accessors.  To  the  right  of  the  raised 
platform  upon  which  they  took  their  places  was  the  seat 
assigned  to  the  public  prosecutor,  M.  Navazza,  while  on 
the  left  were  the  clerk  of  the  court,  M.  Iiougnieux,  and 
the  members  of  the  jury,  a  small  space  being  reserved 
between  the  jury  box  and  the  body  of  the  court  for  the 
witnesses  in  the  case. 

The  prisoner  upon  being  brought  into  court  was 
placed  beside  the  Advocate,  Maitre  Moriand,  who  in 
absence  of  counsel  for  the  defence  had  been  appointed 
to  act  on  his  behalf.  The  seats  reserved  for  the  press 
were  occupied  by  about  fifty  journalists  of  various 
nationalities.  Among  others  present  in  the  body  of  the 
court  were  M.  Bremmerd,  Federal  Councillor ;  M.  Scherb, 

278 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Procureur  General  of  the  Confederation,  and  Baron 
Giskra,  Secretary  of  the  Austro-Hungarian  Legislation 
and  Representative  of  his  Majesty  the  Emperor  of 
Austria. 

Luccheni  was  smoothly  shaved,  his  moustache  was 
curled  with  extraordinary  care,  and  he  bestowed  upon 
the  court  a  graceful  bow,  which  was  a  masterpiece  of 
vulgar  impudence  and  reckless  impertinence.  On  a 
table  near  by  were  placed  the  so-called  pieces  de  con- 
viction, consisting  of  the  loathsome  file,  a  military 
certificate  found  in  the  assassin's  pocket,  a  photograph 
representing  him  in  his  uniform  of  the  Italian  cavalry 
regiment  of  Monteferrato,  and  wearing  the  war  medal 
of  the  Abyssinian  campaign,  etc. 

This  last  examination  of  Luccheni,  undertaken  by 
the  president  of  the  court,  brought  to  light  several  facts 
which  until  then  had  remained  unpublished.  From  it 
was  gathered  that  Luccheni,  during  the  time  when  he 
was  serving  his  country,  had  given  satisfaction  to  his 
superior  officers,  and  had  shown  no  sign  of  harbouring 
the  anarchistic  theories  whicli  he  displayed  later  on.  In 
fact,  he  was  so  well  thought  of  in  his  regiment  that 
his  captain  took  him  into  his  house  as  servant,  and  had 
at  the  time  no  reason  whatsoever  for  repenting  having 
done  so.  During  his  stay  in  his  captain's  house  he  was 
known  to  be  intent  upon  reading  everything  he  could 
obtain  about  the  Dreyfus  case,  and  also  about  M.  Andre's 
polar  voyage ;  he  also,  when  his  evening  off  duty  came 
round,  used  to  go  and  hear  conferences  on  singularly- 
abstruse  matters.  In  one  word,  he  gave  his  employers 
the  impression  that  he  was  much  above  the  ordinary  run 
of  common  soldiers.  Strange  to  say,  three  days  before 
killing  the  Empress,  Luccheni  wrote  a  letter  to  his 
former  captain's  wife,  whom  he  had  heard  was  spending 

279 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

a  short  time  in  Paris.  This  letter,  which  was  communi- 
cated to  the  authorities,  was  well  written,  well  spelled, 
and  ran  as  follows : 

"  Madame  la  Princesse  : 

"  Having  heard  that  you  are  in  Paris,  I  would  have  been  glad  to 
come  and  pay  my  respects  there,  to  yourself,  and  to  your  family,  but 
circumstances  over  which  I  have  no  control  force  me  to  remain  in 
Switzerland  for  a  little  while  longer.  I  have,  however,  already  bought 
my  ticket  for  the  capital  of  France,  but  perhaps  before  I  arrive  there 
you  will  have  found  out  the  reason  which  prevented  me  from  coming 
sooner.  I  am  in  excellent  health,  and  hope  that  yourself  and  your 
honoured  family  are  in  the  same  condition.  I  expect  to  leave  Geneva 
on  Sunday.     In  the  meanwhile  I  remain,  Madame  la  Princesse, 

"  Your  humble  servant, 

"  L.  Luccheni." 

It  may  seem  passing  strange  that  an  anarchist  so 
embittered  against  the  aristocracy  should  have  written 
thus  to  Princesse  Dolores  di  Vera  d'Arazona,  and  when 
on  the  Saturday  following  the  day  upon  which  she 
received  this  epistle  Madame  d'Arazona  read  of  the 
assassination  by  Luccheni  of  the  Empress  of  Austria, 
her  amazement  and  disgust  may  be  better  imagined 
than  described. 

The  questions  of  the  president  of  the  court  elicited 
also  the  facts  that  Luccheni  was  born  in  Paris  on  the 
2nd  of  April,  1873,  and  that  on  the  9th  of  August,  1874, 
he  was  placed  in  the  poor-house  of  Parma,  where  he  was 
given  the  number  of  29,239.  He  was  born  in  the  second 
Arrondissement  of  Paris,  and  his  etat-civil  designates 
him  as  "  Luis  Luccheni,  father  unknown ;  mother,  Luigia 
Luccheni,  daughter  of  John  Luccheni  and  of  Marie 
Macelli  (of  Albaceto),  unmarried,  laundress." 

The  first  witness  called  was  M.  St.  Martin,  electrician, 
who    deposed    that    he    saw    the    prisoner    strike    the 

280 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Empress,  but  was  unable  to  say  at  the  moment  whether 
his  object  was  to  rob  or  to  kill  her  Majesty.  He  stated 
that  when  the  prisoner  at  the  bar  attempted  to  escape 
he  pursued  him  and  arrested  him  with  the  assistance  of 
the  boatman,  Kouget ;  that  Luccheni  did  not  offer  much 
resistance,  but  declared  loudly  at  first  that  he  had  done 
nothing  blamable.  Here  the  witness  was  interrupted  by 
a  violent  protest  on  the  part  of  Luccheni,  who  called  out : 

"I  did  not  say  that.  I  have  never  been  ashamed  of 
my  deed.  I  told  you,  on  the  contrary,  that  I  had  just 
killed  the  Austrian  Empress." 

When  silence  had  been  re-established,  the  boatman 
Kouget  was  called  in,  and  repeated  very  nearly  the  same 
story  as  had  been  told  by  St.  Martin.  He  was  followed 
on  the  witness-stand  by  Veuillemain,  a  coachman,  who 
was  stationed  in  front  of  the  Brunswick  monument 
when  the  crime  was  committed,  and  who  said  that  he 
had  noticed  Luccheni  lounging  against  a  railing  some 
minutes  before  his  attack  upon  the  Empress's  person ; 
and  added  that  he  heard  with  his  own  ears  Luccheni 
exclaim  immediately  after  his  arrest : 

"I  hope  that  I  did  not  miss  her!  Next  will  come 
the  King  of  Italy,  but  now,  unfortunately,  I  will  be 
prevented  from  having  the  pleasure  of  doing  for  him 
myself." 

The  doctors  who  attended  the  dying  Empress  were 
next  heard,  and  after  explaining  the  nature  of  the  wound 
inflicted  and  reading  the  reports  which  they  had  made 
ready,  they  declared,  on  their  soul  and  conscience,  as  did 
also  the  medical  experts  attached  to  the  tribunal,  "that 
the  Lombroso  theories  could  not  be  applied  to  Luccheni, 
who  is  perfectly  sound  of  mind,  eats  and  sleeps  well, 
and  has  not  the  slightest  trace  of  melancholy,  remorse, 
or  regret  even,  in  his  composition." 

281 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Another  witness,  M.  Sartoris,  who  is  a  painter,  deposed 
that  Luccheni  told  him  once  that  he  would  kill  some 
person  of  mark  in  order  to  at  last  be  able  to  see  his 
name  printed  in  a  newspaper,  but  that  he  had  given 
this  statement,  made  laughingly,  no  importance  at  the 
time  when  it  was  uttered. 

The  jury  had  been  appointed  by  drawing  lots,  and 
M.  Moriaud,  as  I  have  said  before,  was  acting  as  counsel 
for  the  defence. 

Luccheni  persistently  denied  throughout  the  long 
trial  having  had  any  accomplices,  but  repeatedly  declared 
that  he  was  glad  to  have  killed  the  Empress,  adding, 
with  an  ugly  scowl : 

"I  did  my  utmost  to  succeed  in  the  attempt,  and  I 
meant  to  kill  the  Empress,  that  is  certain!  Human 
suffering  is  the  motive  of  my  act." 

Thereupon  the  president  pointed  out  to  him  that  he 
himself  had  never  been  in  want,  and  could,  therefore, 
have  had  no  such  motive  in  view.  The  prisoner  rubbed 
his  hands  and,  smiling  blandly,  replied : 

"On  the  day  of  my  birth,  or  soon  after,  my  mother 
herself  renounced  me ;  that  is  enough  of  untold  suffer- 
ing! 

The  public  prosecutor  delivered  an  eloquent  address 
to  the  jury,  laying  stress  upon  the  fact  that  Luccheni 
openly  gloried  in  his  crime,  and  that  although  he 
denied  the  existence  of  accomplices  it  was  quite  certain 
that  he  had  been  aided  and  abetted  by  other  anarchists 
which,  however,  in  no  sense  diminished  the  full  responsi- 
bility borne  by  Luccheni  himself  for  a  crime  so  odious 
that  no  words  could  describe  the  fulness  of  its  horror. 
He  said  further  that  the  time  had  passed  for  psycholo- 
gical study  of  the  anarchist  breed,  or  for  investigating 
the  origin  and   the  cause  of  so  dreadful   a  movement. 

282 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

The  time  had  come  indeed,  he  thundered  on,  when 
society  ought  to  get  up  en  masse  to  annihilate  and 
repress  this  ever-growing  danger,  this  many-headed 
hydra  which  threatens  to  encompass  in  its  many  tentacles 
the  entire  system  of  our  modern  civilization. 

"Only  a  few  weeks  ago,"  said  the  public  prosecutor, 
in  conclusion,  "in  a  dark  vault  under  the  Church  of 
the  Capuchin  in  Vienna,  the  grave  closed  for  ever  upon 
the  prisoner's  victim.  May  it  close  as  heavily  to-night 
at  Geneva  on  the  footsteps  of  the  murderer  when  he 
has  crossed  the  threshold  of  our  penal  prison,  and  may 
he  pass  into  everlasting  oblivion.  Let  this  be  his 
punishment." 

To  the  procureur's  address  the  prisoner  listened  with 
the  greatest  attention.  At  one  point,  where  M.  Navazza 
alluded  to  the  fact  that  the  prisoner  had  attempted  to 
escape  from  those  who  held  him  in  arrest,  Luccheni 
turned  towards  his  counsel  and  exclaimed,  with  a  great 
show  of  firmness,  "  That  is  not  true  ! " 

Again,  when  the  procureur  pointed  out  that  the  late 
Empress  had  never  concerned  herself  with  politics,  the 
accused  remarked,  in  mocking  tones,  "She  was  always  a 
worker,  perhaps."  The  public  prosecutor,  commenting 
on  this  interruption,  said  that  the  prisoner's  doctrine 
appeared  to  be  that  no  one  who  did  not  work  should  be 
allowed  to  live,  to  which  the  prisoner  responded  loudly, 
"  That's  right." 

When  M.  Moriaud  addressed  the  jury  for  the  defence, 
he  sought  to  minimize  the  prisoner's  responsibility  and 
attempted  to  move  and  touch  his  audience,  and  especially 
the  jury,  by  theatrically  appealing  to  the  dead  Empress's 
spirit,  saying  that  from  heaven,  where  she  was  now 
enthroned,  she  pitied  her  murderer,  and  that  could  she 
but  do  so,  she  would  intercede  for  him,  for  during  her 

283 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

life  she  had  always  pleaded  the  cause  of  the  condemned 
and  had  obtained  the  pardon  of  many!  This  magni- 
ficently pompous  peroration  fell  rather  flat,  for  in  very 
justly  exalting  the  virtues  of  the  victim  the  worthy 
counsel  entirely  lost  sight  of  the  fact  that  he  was  em- 
phasizing still  more  all  the  odiousness  of  the  murderer's 
crime.  There  were  at  that  moment  murmurs  and  mutter- 
ings  among  his  hearers,  who  had,  until  then,  remained 
very  quiet  and  peaceable.  Baron  Giskra,  the  represen- 
tative of  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  seemed  deeply  affected 
by  the  lawyer's  allusion  to  the  dead  Empress,  and 
changed  colour  several  times  in  rapid  succession. 

Three  questions  were  put  to  the  jury :  1.  Is  Luccheni 
guilty  of  having  assassinated  the  Empress  ?  2.  Did  he 
act  with  premeditation  ?  3.  Did  he  lie  in  wait  to  commit 
the  crime? 

The  jury  retired  to  consider  their  verdict.  After  an 
absence  of  twenty  minutes  they  brought  in  a  reply  to  all 
three  questions  in  the  affirmative,  finding  no  extenuating 
circumstances. 

The  procureur-general  then  rose  and  demanded  the 
penalty  of  imprisonment  for  life,  whereupon  the  president 
asked  the  prisoner  whether  he  had  anything  to  say  why 
this  sentence  should  not  be  pronounced.  Luccheni 
smilingly  replied  that  he  had  nothing  to  add. 

The  court  retired  to  consider  the  sentence,  but 
returned  in  a  few  minutes  and  imposed  the  full  penalty 
allowed  by  the  law  of  Switzerland — imprisonment  for 
life.  The  prisoner,  when  the  sentence  was  delivered, 
cried,  "  Long  live  anarchy !  Death  to  the  aristocracy ! 
Let  there  be  only  two  hundred  such  brave  men  as  myself 
and  all  the  thrones  of  the  world  will  be  empty ! "  Then, 
smiling  serenely  upon  the  assistants,  he  followed  his 
escort  of  gendarmes  out  of  the  court-room. 

284 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

Luccheni  is  now  in  a  subterranean  cell  reached  by  a 
staircase  of  twenty  steps  and  a  corridor  so  dark  that  the 
jailer  who  led  him  had  to  carry  a  lantern.  At  the  end 
of  the  corridor  is  a  strong  door  signed  with  the  letter  C, 
with  a  hole  for  air  and  light  at  the  bottom.  Then 
another  yard  of  corridor  and  a  second  door,  strong  like 
the  first,  with  holes  at  the  top  for  light,  which  leads 
directly  into  the  cell.  This  cell  is  without  a  window 
and  is  quite  dark ;  on  the  ground  a  sack  filled  with 
straw,  to  serve  for  a  seat  by  day  and  a  bed  by  night. 
No  other  thing  in  the  cell.  Here  the  Empress's 
assassin  is  to  pass  the  first  six  months  of  his  imprison- 
ment only,  being  taken  out  for  a  breath  of  fresh  air 
once  in  every  fortnight. 

He  was  transferred  to  his  cell  in  the  following 
fashion :  A  little  before  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  Luccheni, 
who  was  in  a  deep  sleep,  was  awakened  by  M.  Lafond, 
governor  of  the  prison  of  St.-Antoine,  and  told  to  dress 
himself.  Though  aware  of  the  fate  in  store  for  him,  he 
had  not  been  told  of  the  date  of  his  departure,  and  he 
was  clearly  much  affected  now  that  the  hour  had  come. 
M.  Lafond  then  explained  to  him  the  regulations  to 
which  he  would  be  subjected.  When  informed  that  he 
would  be  allowed  to  receive  visitors  four  times  a  year, 
and  that  he  would  be  visited  every  week  by  the  prison 
chaplain,  Luccheni  expressed  his  gratitude  for  these 
concessions.  He  was  then  intrusted  to  a  guard  of  five 
gendarmes.  Under  their  escort,  and  preceded  by  two 
warders  carrying  lanterns,  he  traversed  on  foot  the  short 
distance  that  separates  the  prison  of  St.-Antoine  from 
that  of  the  Eveche.  The  streets  through  which  he 
passed  were  quite  deserted,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he 
had  reached  his  destination.  At  the  gate  of  the  Eveche 
he    stood    still    for    an   instant,  and   cast   an   inquiring 

285 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AX  EMPRESS 

glance  around  as  if  in  expectation  of  some  sign  that 
an  effort  was  to  be  made  to  rescue  him,  but  not  a  sound 
broke  the  silence,  and  his  escort  pressing  him  forward, 
he  angrily  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  entered  the  prison. 
After  being  made  to  put  on  the  costume  of  prisoners 
condemned  to  life  sentences,  he  was  conducted  to  a 
cell.  He  will  remain  in  this  prison  until  his  death  a 
mere  number — No.  1144. 

This  form  of  punishment  needs  no  comments.  Per- 
chance its  advocates  are  right  when  they  claim  that  it  is 
far  worse  than  capital  punishment  itself,  for  in  the  gloom 
of  this  sinister  cell  the  mind  of  the  caged  assassin  will 
need  to  be  very  strong  indeed  not  to  totter  and  fail 
him.  Everlastingly  upon  the  curtain  of  deep  shadows 
which  will  press  upon  his  sight  he  will  see  appearing 
before  him  his  beautiful  victim,  the  woman  he  so  odiously 
killed;  and  upon  his  ears  in  that  palpable,  oppressive, 
wellnigh  unbearable  silence  of  dungeons  will  fall  nothing 
but  the  imaginary  sound  of  the  sobs  which  his  revolting 
deed  has  caused.  He  will  then  mayhap  regret  this 
deed  so  quickly  executed,  and  for  which  there  is  no 
expiation  possible. 

"  There  are  swift  hours  in  life — strong,  rushing  hours 
That  do  the  work  of  tempests  in  their  might ! " 

And  so  no  more  of  the  fiend  now  entombed  in  the 
prison  of  the  Eveche,  excepting  the  heart-felt  hope  that 
he  will  now  and  hereafter  reap  his  sowing. 

That  may  not  sound  like  a  very  Christian  wish,  but 
one's  softer  and  better  feelings  are  apt  to  become 
weakened  by  the  thought  that  the  old  Mosaic  law  was 
not  applied,  and  that  Luccheni  escaped  the  Lex  talionis 
of  the  ancients,  be  his  present  predicament  ever  so 
dreadful. 

286 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  AN  EMPRESS 

And  now,  in  the  crypt  of  the  Capuchin  church,  the 
Empress  lies  at  rest  till  the  consummation  of  time,  side 
by  side  with  her  beloved  son.  The  coffin  in  which  she 
was  borne  from  Switzerland  to  Vienna  has  been  placed 
in  a  sarcophagus  of  gold  and  silver,  adorned  by  a  large 
cross — the  last  she  will  ever  bear — beneath  which,  framed 
in  a  beautifully  chased  garland  of  flowers  and  buds,  the 
following  inscription  is  engraved : 

"ELISABETH  AMALIA  EUGENIA,  IMPERATRIX  AUS- 
TRIAE  ET  REGINA  HUNGARIAN,  MAXIMILIANI  JOSEPHI 
ET  LUDOVICAE,  DUCUM  IN  BAVARIA,  FILIA.  NATA  IN 
VILLA  POSSENHOFEN  DIE  XXIV.  MENSIS  DKCKMBRIS 
ANNI  MDCCCXXXVII.  NUPTA  FRANCISCO-JOSEPHO  I. 
IMPERATORI  VINDOBONAE  DIE  XXIV.  M.  APRILIS  A. 
MDCCCLIV.  CORONATA  REGINA,  BUDAE  DIE  VIII.  M. 
JUNII  A.  MDCCCLXVII.  DKNATA  GENEVAE  DIE  X.  M. 
SEPTEMBRIS   A.    MDCCCXCVIII.      H.    S.    E." 


FINIS 


LONDON  :    PRINTED   BY   WILLIAM   CLOWES   AN1>   .-ON.-,    LIMITED, 
STAMIORD   STREET    AW)   I  HAKIM;    I    ,(/-.-. 


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